


Those Unreachable Stars

by Vexatious



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Aphrodisiacs, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Child Abuse, Depression, Drug Use, Dubious Consent, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flawed Hero, Forced Pregnancy, Forced Prostitution, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Multi, Not a sweet love story, Possessive Behavior, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Relationships, Unsympathetic Villain, Will Anyone be Happy, YanYan, Yanby - Freeform, Yanderetale, Yanderetale Canon, Yanderetale Grillby, Yanderetale Muffet, Yanderetale Papyrus, Yanderetale Sans, Yanfett - Freeform, brassberry - Freeform, literally the SLOWEST BURN
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-02-06 17:28:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 32
Words: 37,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12822462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vexatious/pseuds/Vexatious
Summary: This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.Please be mindful of the content warnings.This chapter contains: language, blood





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

It isn’t easy being a functioning monster in our messed-up world. Everyone here is a sociopath, me, or Sans, and to be really honest, sometimes I wonder about Sans, who everyone else refers to as Brassberry. What makes me so different? Well, my name is Vasilia, and I’m a genetically modified monster, and not well-modified at that. I was created to house a human soul that could be harvested to bring down the barrier. Unfortunately, I ended up a very human-looking monster with a blank soul- a soul with no magic. As a failed experiment, I was slated for termination, but during a catastrophic explosion in the Core, I survived and escaped the Lab where I’d been created.

As I struggled to survive on my own without magic or allies, I watched our world fall farther and farther into madness. Everyone tried to get ahead at any cost, thinking only of themselves and their own needs. The hardships and struggles filled the days, leaving me desperate and regretting my decision to live. I avoided other monsters since there seemed to be a collective desire to rid this beautiful and dangerous world from the blemish of my existence. I had no value, nothing to stoke their vanity. I couldn’t always escape their torment, so I stayed on the move.

I ended up in the forests of Snowdin trying to find a place to hide from a particularly sadistic trio of monsters. My attempts to flee were hampered by a mixture of the crimson trail my injuries were leaving behind and the hypothermia that was rapidly setting in. To be honest, if I could’ve just trusted them to kill me outright, I would’ve stopped running. I could tell from the unhurried original attack and ensuing chase that they preferred to see me suffer. The pleasure they’d glean from my torture was the only measure of my value for them, and I was rapidly weakening. Dodging through the trees slowed me more than it did them.

I burst into a clearing and immediately collapsed. I could barely lift my head to check on the progress of my pursuers, and my tired eyes delivered unwelcome news. The three monsters chasing me hadn’t caught up yet, but I’d run right into the path of another monster, and he looked even scarier than the others. He loomed over me, a skeleton monster with sharp teeth and a leather jacket bristling with spikes. The snow cradled me in merciful numbness, and darkness crept in to hide my approaching death from my weary eyes.

“Dust… me…” I managed to whisper right before passing out.

* * *

_Brassberry looked at the girl laying in the snow impassively. Crashing noises behind him drew his attention before he could decide what to do about her. He narrowed his sockets at the three monsters emerging from the trees. A rock elemental and two reptilian monsters watched him with open hostility. The girl was bleeding, coloring the snow around her bright pink. The monsters were splashed with fresh blood; it wasn’t much of a stretch to figure out the situation. One of the reptiles stepped forward and pointed at the unconscious girl._

_“That belongs to us,” the creature hissed, but all three of them were hesitant to claim the quarry laying at the feet of the imposing skeleton. They wanted a weak victim, not a fight with an actual opponent._

_“finders keepers,” the skeleton told them coolly. He picked up the limp but still breathing body out of the snow, and tucked her against his chest, wrapping his jacket around her. The other monsters said nothing as he brushed past them. Fucking punks. The girl felt so small and fragile in his arms despite the fact that she wasn’t much shorter than him. He felt a twinge of protectiveness towards her, likely the only monster capable of feeling that way anymore. Any other monster would’ve destroyed something so delicate. He idly wondered if she would just die anyway._

* * *

I regained consciousness to the sensation of movement and the smell of leather.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

The scary skeleton from the forest had captured me. I shivered from hypothermia and tense fear. The vibration must’ve alerted my captor to my return to consciousness. He shifted, and I began to panic. The only reason he could have for keeping me alive was some sick sadistic desire to torture and kill me. Monsters never did anything that didn’t benefit them. Some of my strength had returned, and I didn’t want to die.

The skeleton monster moved the flaps of his jacket aside, and looked at me for a moment before tipping me upright and setting my feet down on the path where we stood. He still gripped me by the arms. I didn’t think my legs would support me just yet.

“mornin,’” he said in a gravelly voice, leering at me with his alarming serrated teeth. I exploded into motion, or tried to anyway. I attempted to shove him away from me, but he didn’t budge. I lunged in the opposite direction, using the momentum from the ineffective shove to propel me forward. I stumbled and ended up dangling helplessly by the arms. The panic took over; I started thrashing, jerking my arms painfully against the skeleton’s vise-like hands. He actually released me at one point, but I just slammed my fists into him harmlessly, shrieking and crying.

I finally exhausted myself. “you done?” he asked. I shook, panting from my efforts; he remained unfazed. I nodded.

“I don’t wanna die,” I sobbed. I was too cold and frightened to be embarrassed.

“then don’t,” he said flatly. “i’m takin’ you back to my place. you can get warm and rest.” He reached for me again. My numb legs could barely hold me up any longer, so I didn’t resist as he lifted me back into his arms with surprising gentleness. My energy spent once more, I sank into the welcoming oblivion of sleep.

* * *

_This girl was something else. Her outburst actually impressed him a little. She had some good survival instincts; she was just small… and weak._

_It didn’t take long for Brassberry to get to the house he and his brother shared in Snowdin. The house was empty and quiet when he arrived, but he didn’t put the girl down right away. She shivered even in her sleep, so he went to his room and got her a thick, soft blanket. She didn’t awaken as he bundled her up and carried her back downstairs to the couch._

_Once he had settled her onto the couch, he took a better look at her. He could tell she was underweight even though she had a small frame. Her clothing was as plain and unadorned as her serene, sleeping face, a far cry from the usual flamboyant and fashionable clothing favored by the monsters of the Underground. She looked young, maybe an adult, maybe a teenager. It was hard to tell when monsters aged so differently. He was sure she was a monster though. When he first picked her up, he’d seen the flutter of a pale monster soul, tinged with a soft lilac._

_Perseverance. It suited her._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_Brassberry left the girl on the couch and went to kitchen to make something for her to eat when she woke up. She was far too skinny, and besides, his brother Papyrus, who preferred to be called YanYan, would be home soon and expecting a hot dinner himself. He got to work cooking, deciding that stew would be the best choice- hearty enough for his brother, but easy enough for the stranger to keep down._

 

_He heard YanYan arrive before he saw him. “SANS!” shouted his younger sibling, bursting through the front door. “IS DINNER READY YET? I’M STA-” The loud voice fell silent for a moment, and Brassy suspected his brother had noticed the half-frozen girl on their couch. YanYan burst into the kitchen, eye sockets narrowed at Sans, who was removing the finished stew from the stovetop. “WHAT. THE FUCK. IS THAT?” he pointed in the general direction of their living room._

 

_“that’s, uh…” Brassberry realized he had no idea what her name was. “uh, someone i found in the woods. she was cold, so i brought her back here to recuperate.”_

 

_“WHEN YOU BRING TRASH HOME FROM THE DUMP, DON’T LEAVE IT WHERE I HAVE TO SEE IT,” YanYan sniffed haughtily. Brassberry handed him a bowl of the stew, then took a second bowl into the living room to see if the girl was awake. She was._

* * *

I’d woken up in stages, spurred on by the sound of a loud, demanding voice. By the time I finally breached the barrier into full consciousness, I found myself to be alone. It didn’t last. The stocky skeleton from before emerged from a room that smelled like it must be the most wonderful kitchen ever. He had food, and without his spiked leather jacket, he actually looked just slightly less like he might kill me. My experiences had taught me better than to trust anyone, even someone with mouth-watering food to offer, so I shrank away from his approach, huddling myself into the farthest corner of the couch, pulling the blanket tighter like armor.

He sat at the other end of the couch and placed a bowl of… stew? on the coffee table, sliding it over until it was within my reach. I did not reach. I swear the smell of it was driving me insane with hunger, but it could be poisoned or drugged. I watched the steam rising from it, mesmerized. The thought of warm food weakened me. I tried to resist.

“eat,” the skeleton said, his voice deep and gruff but not unpleasant, “then i’ll bandage up your wounds.” I didn’t know him; I didn’t trust him. Hunger won out, though, and I reached for the bowl of stew. Now it might not have meant a lot coming from me since I normally ate whatever was cheap, but that stew was so amazing. There was no aftertaste either, so I probably wasn’t about to die!

“This is… so good,” I mumbled, blushing a dusting of rosy pink across my nose and cheeks. I devoured it in record time. I actually dared to look up at the skeleton when I’d finished eating. He still sat on the end of the couch farthest from me, respecting my need for distance and smiling a terrifying sharp-toothed grin.

“thanks, uh…” he waited.

“Vasilia.”

_(NOTE: The pronunciation is vah-sill-LIA with the emphasis on the last two syllables “LEE-UH”)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

“i’m sans, but everyone calls me brassberry.” He leaned towards me to pick up my empty bowl, and I flinched reflexively at his movement. He sighed one of those long, heavy, weight-of-the-world sighs. “relax, vasi, i’m not gonna hurt ya. chill.”

Did he just make a joke? I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or not. I mean, I’d almost died, but this burly jokester had also saved me. I guess it was ok to laugh about it now, right? I tried a soft chuckle, watching him for a reaction. He beamed at me, and the joy on his face almost made the teeth less fearsome. Almost.

“there ya go,” he encouraged, and I forced my body to relax. As the tension faded, the pain of my injuries reared its ugly head. I gritted my teeth against it as Sans continued speaking. “you still hungry?” I shook my head, not trusting my mouth not to scream in agony if I opened it. “warm enough?” Nod. Sweat droplets were forming on my forehead from the effort of silence rather than heat. “i should probably check your wounds then.” Reluctant nod.

* * *

_She didn’t move when he reached towards her this time. She actually pressed forward into his arms. That’s when he saw the blood soaking into the blanket. Shit. The injury on her back was serious. He heard her sniffle and focused back on her face. She tried to be stoic and not cry, but the pain must have been intense. He asked her if she could walk, and once again she nodded._

  _“go upstairs,” Brassy told her. “bathroom’s the last door on the left. i’ll bring some bandages and clean clothes for you.” She started to nod then seemed to change her mind._

  _“Thank you,” she murmured in a soft, timid voice. She slowly made her way to the stairs while he scooped up her empty bowl and returned to kitchen. YanYan tapped away at his phone, and Brassberry cleared his dishes as well. His brother spoke just as he was leaving the room._

  _“DID IT DIE?” YanYan sneered._

  _“no.”_

  _“GUESS I OWE GRILLBY 50G THEN.” He hadn’t even looked up from his phone._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, blood/gore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Blanket still wrapped around me, I ascended the stairs. I found the bathroom easily enough, right where Sans had said it was. I know he said people called him Brass, but I always try to call people by their actual names. Nicknames are a way people hide themselves from others. I wanted to know this monster that went out of his way to help others. I wanted to trust him. I hoped I wasn’t being foolish.

I let the blanket drop once I was in the bathroom. I could see the scratches and cut on my stomach, arms, and legs, but I knew the most serious wound I’d suffered was on my back, causing the intense burn and maddening throb that brought tears to my eyes. I stood with my back to the mirror. The mirror was huge, telling me that someone in this house was quite vain. I looked over my shoulder to see the aftermath of the attack written on my skin. I almost fainted (again).

At first, it appeared as though my shirt was just horrendously bloody and covered in specks of lacerated flesh, but closer inspection showed that my back, and the shirt with it, were shredded. The fabric of the shirt where it had been ripped was lost in the gore that was my back. Skin had been torn away, and blood bubbled where the muscles beneath had been jaggedly torn. My stomach twisted; I almost lost the food I’d just eaten, the food I desperately needed to heal. I heard a voice behind me.

“oh, shit.” It was the skeleton monster, Sans. For some reason, his reaction, even more than the sight of my torn and bleeding flesh, made the tears spill over. He dropped the gauze and bandages he was holding and put his hands gently on my arms, forcing my eyes to meet his. He looked genuinely concerned.

* * *

_He felt extremely concerned. The back injury seemed like someone had dragged her down a gravel road, and he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed it sooner. “hey, it’s ok,” he told her as tears flowed freely down Vasilia’s face, “i’ll take care of you. wait here.” He went back to his room and picked up the bottle of painkillers he used for his head wound. He had no idea what the dose would be for her. She couldn’t be more than half his weight, if that, even though she was only a few inches shorter than him. Maybe one pill instead of two?_

_He’d only been gone a minute, but when he got back, he found Vasilia huddled on the floor, crying and shuddering. She heard him enter the bathroom and turned her face up to him. Her eyes were large and round with pain. “Sans,” she whimpered, and never before had any sound ever made his soul ache like the plea he heard in her voice. He lowered himself to the floor next to her and handed her the pill._

_“take this,” he coaxed gently. “it’ll make the pain stop.” She stared at the pill, unmoving, until finally her gaze swept back up to his face. Never taking her eyes off of him, she put the pill in her mouth and swallowed._

_“why don’t you tell me what happened while we wait for that to kick in?” he suggested, settling himself on the floor next to her._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, blood/gore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

I took a deep breath; I grimaced when the movement sent pain lancing across my back. Reluctant to talk, I tried staring at a spot above the skeleton’s head. That’s when I spotted the bandage on his head, its pale color blending with the white of his skull. I momentarily forgot the ragged mess of flesh on my back.

“You’re hurt!” I reached tentatively towards his bandaged head, and he dodged my outstretched hand easily.

“this old thing?” he chuckled nonchalantly. “nah, doesn’t hurt a bit.” I frowned, not sure if he was joking. “ _back_  to the point…” He winked. “why were those assholes chasing you?”

I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on them, remembering. “They cornered me at the dump. I don’t really, um, have anywhere to go, and I was seeing if I could, ya know, find something valuable.” I paused, lost in memories of scraping by, of hungry days, and cold nights. I laughed bitterly. “Maybe it’s not a big deal for someone like you, but for me, there’s really not many options to get money for food. You find stuff to sell, or.. well…” Tears slid down my cheeks.

Sans’ thumb brushed them away with surprising tenderness. I gave him a watery half-smile; he seemed different than other monsters, almost… nice. “I guess they were interested in that other option,  _sans_  payment…” I stopped again, letting the pun hang between us while the lewd taunts of my three assailants replayed in my head. “One of them, one of the reptilian monsters, grabbed me. I bit him, and he let go. I started to run when I got blasted with an attack by the rock elemental. I kept running. I was so scared. Then I found you.”

* * *

_There weren’t many monsters in the Underground shorter than Brassberry, and something about seeing this helpless and diminutive monster shake and cry recalling a brutal attack made his half of a soul twist inside him. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe, warm, fed, to erase the terrible life she lived. If he ever saw those bastards again, they were dust. He wanted to comfort her, but her back injury prevented him from physically holding her._

_“how are you feeling?” He figured that enough time had passed that the pills should be taking effect._

_“Weird,” the girl admitted. She pressed a finger to her torn flesh. “Numb,” she said, relief in her voice._

_This was going to be the hard part. “i need to get that shirt off of you so we can clean you up before we get you bandaged.” She nodded, and he carefully slid his hands under the hem of the mangled shirt, peeling it slowly away from the shredded skin and flesh it was entangled with. She hissed under her breath, but he knew the pain would’ve overwhelmed her entirely without the pain meds._

_She removed her pants, and he turned away from her, trying to give her a semblance of privacy. “into the shower,” he instructed, and she obeyed. When he turned on the warm water, her skin crawled against the touch of the water spray, and the bottom of the bathtub was dyed pink by the bloody water. Once the blood and little chunks of unidentified corporeal matter had been washed free, the aftermath of the attack appeared much more manageable. Food and time would help the ragged tears heal._

_He had to help her out of the tub. The pills he’d given her made her slow and clumsy. As she stumbled over the edge of the tub, he caught her in a big fluffy towel, patting her injury dry before carefully laying gauze and bandages across the span of her back. She didn’t seem to be embarrassed at all by her nakedness or his proximity, and he tried not to think about it. She wasn’t exactly his type anyway._

_He had brought one of his own clean dry shirts for her to wear, knowing that it would be loose enough and long enough on her to make up for the fact that he didn’t really have any undergarments or pants that would fit her. She looked even smaller in the sea of fabric. He smiled, trying to keep his sharp teeth hidden; he’d seen the look of fear on her face whenever she saw them. She looked up at him, eyes glazed from the meds, and suddenly spoke._

_“Your nose is an upside down heart,” she mumbled tiredly. He felt her relax completely into his arms. He picked her up and carried her to his room, settling her into his bed so she could sleep and heal. As he started to leave, she spoke again._

_“Please stay. I’m scared to be alone.” Her voice wavered as if she might start crying again. He knew he couldn’t deny the request, so he climbed into bed next to her. She pressed herself tightly against him, and he wrapped his strong, bony arms around her like a shield._

_“don’t be scared. i won’t let anything hurt you ever again. i promise.”_


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

The next few days passed in a blur of deep healing slumber and groggy wakefulness. I knew the meals left for me on the nightstand were laced with heavy doses of painkillers, but the food was good and the escape from the prison of pain in my body was a welcome relief. Sometimes, if I woke up at night, Sans would be there. The feeling of his strong arms around me made me feel safe even though I hadn’t known him long. He snored like a thunderstorm, but I didn’t care.

I don’t know how many days had passed, but one morning (afternoon? evening?) I woke up fully, feeling refreshed. I gave an experimental stretch, feeling the muscles in my back pull and flex with only the dull ache of misuse. I smiled to myself, not noticing that I was being watched. The skeleton, Sans, watched me with a satisfied (thankfully mouth-closed) smile.

“mornin,’“ he greeted me. “how ya feelin’?”

“Better.” I sat up in his bed, keeping the covers pulled up since I was all too aware that I was only wearing an oversized t-shirt. He sensed my discomfort and looked a bit embarrassed.

“i, uh, got ya some clothes. not sure if they’ll fit ya though.” I hoped he wasn’t too far off on sizes. I didn’t exactly have any other options for clothes. Imagine my surprise when he opened a drawer in his dresser and pulled out what felt to me like every article of female clothing ever invented. My mouth was probably hanging open because I saw a soft teal flush creep across his cheekbones.

“wasn’t sure what you liked,” he mumbled, trailing off as I leapt off the bed to hug him ferociously, tears welling up in my eyes. I acquired clothes as I needed them. Nobody had ever shown me kindness, and this monster had found me an entire wardrobe….

* * *

_He had no idea why she’d thrown herself into his arms, but he kind of liked it. He hoped she’d stay happy once she actually saw the clothes. He’d considered asking YanYan for help shopping for her, but his brother had made his dislike of the girl abundantly clear. He often referred to her as a stray, a waste of time, a distraction. Brassberry didn’t know why his brother had such a problem with her.  
_

_He backed out the room to give Vasilia privacy to get dressed. In the meantime, he went downstairs to get YanYan so that his brother could properly meet their guest. He managed to get YanYan upstairs just as the door to his room swung open. Vasi stepped into the hallway shyly. She’d picked out a long knit sweater and some leggings, and they were a pretty good fit. She still clutched the t-shirt she’d been sleeping in tightly to her chest._

_“EVEN NEW CLOTHES COULDN’T FIX HER LOOKS, BRO,” the taller skeleton commented icily. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WASTED A WEEK AND A HALF ON_ THAT _.” He waved a slim, elegant hand in her general direction before turning away and going back downstairs. “AND DINNER’S LATE,” he called over his shoulder._

_Brassy watched Vasi’s smile evaporate at his brother’s cruel words. He sighed. “you look nice,” he tried to reassure her, but she looked like she wanted to disappear. She gripped the t-shirt in her arms like it was a teddy bear._

_“Can… can I keep this?” He had no idea why she wanted it, but it seemed to comfort her. He nodded._

_“sure thing, sweetheart. let me show you your room.” He put a hand on her arm and guided her to the closed door of the room next to his_

* * *

I couldn’t believe it. He’d saved my life, taken care of me, and gotten me clothes, and now he was going to let me stay here? The relief of actually having a place to live made me wonder if I was still dreaming. When he opened the door, however, the dream morphed into a dizzying pink nightmare. Normally I like the color pink, but this room was floor to ceiling, wall to wall pink, and none of the shades of pink matched. I had the feeling that I was probably their first female houseguest… or Sans was colorblind. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I gave Sans’ shirt a tight hug and took my first step into vibrant pink Hell.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

It felt strange to have my own room, stranger still to be sleeping alone. The juxtaposition of the safety of four walls and the vulnerability of being by myself left me feeling oddly exposed. I wasn’t even sure what to do with myself. Should I stay in my room? Was I allowed to go other places in the house? What should I do if I got hungry? I realized that being here made me completely reliant on Sans. I didn’t even consider his brother; something about YanYan terrified me to the core.

Sans looked like you’d see him next to the definition for the word ‘dangerous’ in the dictionary, yet he possessed a great deal of kindness and compassion underneath his tough exterior. YanYan was a glittering Prince Charming, but one look into his pale amber eye revealed the cold predator inside of him. Staying in my room would allow me to avoid YanYan, but the thought of being a prisoner didn’t sit well with me either.

I stayed up most of that first night worrying, so I was still awake when Sans tried to quietly open the door to check on me. I feigned sleep, hiding my smile against the pillow. At least he wouldn’t be able to sneak up on me. Shortly afterwards I fell into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

_Vasilia was actually asleep the second time he checked on her. She was curled up into a ball on the farthest edge of the bed, taking up as little room as possible. She was so small and fragile even though 10 days of food and rest had filled out her too-skinny frame. The urge to protect her blossomed within his half of a soul. Something about her made him need to care for her. He liked the feeling. Without waking her, he placed a phone and a note on her bedside table._

_The note explained that he would be at work all day and recommended that she call him instead of bothering YanYan if she needed anything. As he turned to leave the room, he noticed that she clutched the shirt he’d given her to her chest like a security blanket. Too freakin’ cute._

_He rushed home after the longest 8 hours of work he’d ever experienced. Vasi hadn’t called him; he hoped she was alright. He burst through the front door, causing YanYan, who was flipping through a magazine, to raise a bony brow. He didn’t hesitate or knock; he threw open the door to the guest room, sure something terrible had happened to his ward while he was away.  
_

_She sat up on the bed as if the only move she’d made since he left was to become upright. She huddled in the same corner of the bed, knees pulled to her chest, taking up as little room as possible. She stared intently at the phone he had given her, brow furrowed and expression frustrated. She looked up when she heard him come in. “Sans!” she brightened, her expression of frustration fading into one of relief._

_“somethin’ wrong with the phone, vasi?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. She scooted over to him, holding out the phone. It looked just fine to him._

_“I, uh… I don’t… I can’t…” she stammered before finally blurting out: “I’ve never used a cell phone before!” He was stunned. She didn’t know how to use the phone; she probably hadn’t even gotten past the unlock screen._

_Too. Freakin’. Cute._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: past trauma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

My embarrassment faded quickly once I found myself in the warmth and comfort of the kitchen. It turned out Sans was an amazing cook, and he made dinner while he showed me how to use the phone. He added himself to the contacts list so that I could reach him when he wasn’t at home, and taught me use the camera and text. Despite the fact that I’d never owned one before, I caught on to the smartphone quickly. I knew Sans wondered why the smartphone was a mystery to me, so I explained.

“My body is just a vessel, a home for one of the experimental artificial souls that the Royal Scientist of the time had created.” I shuddered at the old memories springing back to life in my mind. “The experiment turned out to be a failure. One by one the other test subjects in the lab were eliminated, their souls tested. I don’t know how many other monsters they tested… a dozen? A hundred? A thousand? Slaughtering them and trying to use their souls to set the Underground free. The experiments all failed.”

“We only needed to harbor the souls until they could be extracted, so we weren’t exactly treated well.” I fell silent for several long minutes, remembering my years in the lab, the pain, the humiliation, the ever-present knowledge that my lifespan relied on my usefulness. “We didn’t get things like phones; we were housed in pens, like animals. We were functional, cognitive. That was a side effect of the genetic modifications used to create us, a side effect I think the scientists could’ve lived without.” I sighed, lost in the past.

* * *

_He watched the toll that her retelling took on her. As she spoke, she hunched down further into her chair, shrinking in on herself. Her eyes were distant, haunted. He got so caught up in the story that he almost burned their dinner. He caught it just in time. YanYan would be pissed if his dinner was ruined. He turned back to Vasi, straining to hear her almost inaudible voice as she recalled more events._

_“By the time I escaped, there were only two of us left. We were the broken ones, the only two left from a batch of souls that were completely useless, with no magic and no resemblance to real human souls. Utter failures. Worthless. I even started to think that we were periodically killed just to satiate a bloodlust borne of repeated disappointments. I remember rough hands grabbing me, pulling me from our cage, saying to destroy this one next. I struggled, but I’ve never been strong. Suddenly, the ground beneath me began to tremble.”_

_She wrapped her arms around herself. “All the scientists were screaming and running. They gathered up all of the important research; leaving me alone, forgotten. The trembling increased, and dirt and pebbles started to rain down from the ceiling. The lights flickered before finally going dark. I rattled the door to the cage, trying to help the other test subject get out, but the door was locked, and I couldn’t do anything. I ran. I ran away and left him. I ran through dark hallways. I couldn’t see. I thought I was going to die. The experiment area had been abandoned, and I fled with the growls of unsettled earth behind me.”_

_“I burst into a room, a room that had emergency lights, a room that contained the Royal Scientist and a giant… reactor? He pressed buttons frantically, muttering words I couldn’t understand. When he saw me, he laughed. He spoke clearly then, telling me I couldn’t be allowed to exist. He used magic on me, soul magic, but for some reason, it didn’t work. He had these floating hands, and he tried to restrain me with them. I pushed him. I just wanted to escape. I just wanted to live.”_

_She stopped talking for a long time. She stared numbly at the darkened phone screen in front of her, but she was far away. He stirred the sauce he was making, waiting for her to speak again. She did, just two more whispered sentences._

_“I pushed him into the Core. I killed him….”_


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Sans finished making dinner, but I didn’t finish telling my story. What else could I say? I killed another monster; I left the other test subject behind. Two lives had paid for mine. I’d still barely escaped. The explosions destroyed the entire lab and rocked the Underground. In the aftermath, I contemplated my existence. I had nothing; I was nothing. I considered giving up, but my conscience told me that I had to honor those whose deaths I had caused. Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice Sans moving next to me until I felt his cool hand on my shoulder.

“you ok?” he asked, his rumbling voice solemn.

“I’m living a hollow life full of guilt and self-loathing, so I guess I’m about average.” His dry laugh told me he understood all too well. He opened his mouth to respond, but a whirlwind of noise and glamor interrupted him.

“-COULDN’T BELIEVE IT EITHER!” YanYan sneered maliciously into the phone. “I MEAN, WHY EVEN HAVE A STYLIST IF THAT’S THE QUALITY OF WORK THEY PUT OUT?” A brief silence indicated the person on the other end of the line responding, and whatever was said made YanYan snort with laughter. His eye sockets narrowed when he caught sight of me sitting at the kitchen table. He covered the phone receiver.

“WHAT IS  _THAT_  DOING IN THE KITCHEN?” he drawled condescendingly, then added to the person waiting for him on the phone: “HOLD ON.”

* * *

_“she-”_

_“WHATEVER. IS DINNER DONE?” Brassy handed his brother a plate of food, and YanYan took it without a murmur of thanks and headed back into the living room to gossip on his phone in peace. Vasilia had watched his passing with wide eyes._

_Brassberry made plates for himself and Vasi and sat next to her at the table. He felt compelled to apologize for his brother. “sorry about that; YanYan gets a little preoccupied sometimes.” Her eyes still hadn’t left the door separating the kitchen from the living room._

_“He’s dangerous,” she whispered, almost to herself. Brassy didn’t deny it. They ate in contemplative silence, and when they were finished, Vasi still seemed reluctant to venture out of the kitchen by herself. She ended up helping him box up the leftovers and wash the dishes. While they worked, Brassy thought about her story. She talked about a Royal Scientist, one with extra detached hands, and he wondered if she could be talking about the very same Dr. W. D. Gaster who had sired him and YanYan. How would she feel knowing she hadn’t killed him after all? Would she be relieved or terrified that her tormentor still lived? Would she still trust him if she knew of his own origins? He chose to remain silent. They were almost finished with the chores when she finally spoke again._

_“You’re a good cook.” He smiled. Compliments were rare and precious in this house. He held the door for her and escorted her back into the eyesight of his brother. YanYan sprawled on the sofa, ignoring both of them in lieu of a TV program featuring a live segment with Mettaton._

_Just as they arrived at the stairs, YanYan called to them, or more specifically to him, over his shoulder. “THIS SHOW’S GONNA RUN LATE BRO. I’LL CLEAN YOUR WOUND TOMORROW, OR… YOU COULD HAVE YOUR NEW LITTLE PET CLEAN IT FOR YOU.” YanYan’s voice turned silky and sly on the last few words. He knew his brother felt self-conscious about what hid under that bandage on his head._

_“I don’t mind,” Vasi reassured him, but Brassberry wondered how she would react when she actually_ saw  _the wound. He sighed, resigned as she slipped a trusting slender hand into his large coarse bony one. She’d be disgusted by him, scream, leave maybe…?_

_He braced himself as they went upstairs._


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: Language, blood/gore, trypophobia/body horror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Sans stayed silent all the way up the stairs and to the bathroom. Several times I thought he might say something, but the brooding tension remained unbroken. The situation made me nervous. Did Sans not want my help? Did he not trust me? I considered excusing myself to my room. He reached into the cupboard under the sink and thrust a medical kit in my direction. Apparently, he still expected me to help, so I did.

I removed the old bandage and inspected the injury. Jagged bone surrounded an opening in Sans’ skull. The hole contained murky black sludge, and an eye peered back at me from the mess. Oh. I guess that’s what he expected me to freak out about. I was more concerned about about the presence of the eye affecting my ability to clean the wound though.

“Sans? Can you close this eye?” I asked him.

“no,” he answered curtly. I’d have to clean around it then. I put some antiseptic on a cotton swab and began gently dabbing around the edges of the opening, being extra careful not to get any antiseptic or put any pressure on the eye. Despite my best efforts, Sans hissed in pain a few times while I delicately handled his head wound. He handed me bandages to cover the wound when I asked for them, but he stayed silent while I dried and covered the bone split and the eye that hid within.

“doesn’t it fucking frighten you? doesn’t it bother you at all?” Sans spoke suddenly, turning to face me with an intense glare.

“No,” I replied honestly. “It doesn’t.” He looked skeptical, so I elaborated. “The lab where I was… created… I saw a lot of messed up stuff there- open infected wounds, horrific mutilations in the name of science, side effect deformities, just all kinds of oozing, melting, bleeding, graphic horror. It never affected me. Those were just things that happened to people. The thing that scared me, the thing that gave me nightmares, the thing I will never forget is the scientists who did that to us. The blank eyes of those who didn’t care and the twisted glee of those who enjoyed it,  _that_ is what frightens me, what haunts my sleep at night. You’re a good monster, so why would an extra eye matter to me?”

I looked him in the eyes- his regular ones this time. I made sure he could see the truth my words before I even spoke them.

“It’s just an eye.”

* * *

_“It’s just an eye.”_

_So calm. So matter-of-fact._

_“It’s just an eye.”  
_

_Just_

_an_

_eye._

_The eye horrified and sickened him. He couldn’t take her sweetness anymore. The gentle way she cleaned his grotesque skull opening, the blase way she spoke about his freakish deformity, he couldn’t accept her acceptance. He got up abruptly and went to his room, slamming the door behind him. Just an eye? Ha! Just a sickening, foul, festering wound in his head that never healed, just an extra orifice where it didn’t belong, where it couldn’t exist, just the creepy crawling feeling in his skull like insects burrowing in his brain, surely that was_ all  _completely normal_   _and not at all something to think twice about._

_He could hear Vasi cleaning up the bathroom. He heard her go back to her room. Every action was quiet and timid, focused on not drawing attention. Maybe it really didn’t bother her. More likely, she would just never show it bothered her for fear of awakening his wrath or causing him to kick her out of the house. She felt obligated. That must be it. He growled in irritation.  
_

_It’s just an eye…_

_Bullshit._


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Life in the skeleton brothers’ house became a comfortable routine for me. For once in my life, I could finally put aside the day-to-day struggle to survive and just relax in the shelter and safety of a home. Sans worked as a sentry then came home and did all the housework., leaving me baffled as to how YanYan managed to waste the entire day without any responsibilities that didn’t immediately get delegated to Sans. Sans didn’t seem to notice or care that he was a glorified (and unpaid) servant. I spent most of the day in my room, away from the imperious skeleton monster. I’d been told by Sans that he doesn’t like to be called by his real name, so I should address him as YanYan. Mostly, I avoided him. 

On the surface, YanYan appeared glamorous and confident, but seeing him in his own home, his comfort zone, revealed a different side to him that scared me. He reminded me of the scientist at the lab. He held the power and wielded it on those he considered beneath him; he alleviated his boredom with cruel games. Sans didn’t notice his brother’s dark tendencies because, to him, his brother could do no wrong. I never mentioned my feelings to Sans, and I steered clear of YanYan as much as possible. I trusted Sans to protect me from just about anything, but YanYan was his brother, and I was sure that he was the one person Sans wouldn’t, couldn’t, protect me from. 

As for Sans, something about him filled me with a deep contentment. Every day when he came home from his job as a sentry, I waited to greet him with enthusiasm. It didn’t hurt that he had a habit of bringing me little presents. I think he just enjoyed the smiles he got for his thoughtfulness. I wanted to thank him for all he’d done for me, so I followed him around like a disproportionate shadow, trying to make his life easier. He taught me to cook; I became his sous chef, helping him with dinner prep. I insisted on assisting him with other chores as well. 

* * *

_Brassberry enjoyed coming home each day with Vasi’s smiling face to greet him. She made him feel important, and it was nice to have someone to talk to aside from his brother. She dutifully cleaned his wound every evening and even helped with the chores. On nights when he went to Grillby’s, especially nights when he got blackout drunk and didn’t come home until the next morning, she always took care of him and made sure he got to bed. He even began to bring home presents for her because her genuine gratitude lit up her eyes in a way that made life seem a little bit better._

_She suffered from the cold temperatures of Snowdin, though. She shivered frequently, and he often found her bundled in his blankets or clothes on nights when he came home late (or early) from Grillby’s. He tried to get her some hoodies in her size, but she preferred his, which were so big on her that they swallowed her up in fabric. She looked adorable in them, so he surreptitiously bought a few extra hoodies to stock his closet with._

_Sans didn’t even mind her persistent need to be near to or touching him. Picking her up and carrying her or holding her under some blankets while they watched a movie didn’t bother him at all. He liked it. She basked in his strong presence like a cat in the sunlight. She didn’t really need him; she’d survived on her own for years. She_ wanted _to be near him. It was a good feeling to be wanted, to receive affection, to be looked up to… Things had been that way with YanYan once too…._


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

The house was surprisingly quiet, quiet in a way that let me know that nobody was home. I checked the clock; Sans wouldn’t be home for awhile. I decided it would be the perfect time for me to surprise him with a present for once. I dug out the food ingredients I’d squirreled away over a week ago. I planned to make a dessert for Sans. I knew he liked baked goods, but I’d never really done anything in the kitchen without him, mostly due to my fear of YanYan. His absence gave me the perfect opportunity to get cooking.

Nervously, I measured and double-checked each ingredient, taking my time to do things right. I had to get the cake baking first if I wanted it to be done in time. I gathered a few other hidden ingredients from the back of the fridge and started to work on a filling. I’d found this recipe on the Undernet and written it carefully on an index card, which I now quickly re-read to make sure I had everything I needed. I vigorously whisked lemon curd and reduced some fresh raspberries in sugar and water while the cake baked. I sampled each component as I finished it, and I glowed with pride because everything was turning out perfectly.

I had the cake out to cool when I heard the door. I froze. Sans wouldn’t be home this early; it had to be YanYan. I cringed, hoping he wouldn’t come into the kitchen, but the scent of dessert food gave away my activities.

“SANS!” YanYan burst through the door, assuming that if someone was cooking, it would have been Sans. Understandable. When he saw me, alone, his irritated frown turned into a sly, cruel smile. A wisp of orange-gold magic drifted from his left eye.

I cringed away from him. I heard a drawer behind me open, and a knife whizzed past my head. YanYan caught it deftly, still smiling that wicked smile at me. He kicked the kitchen door shut behind him and advanced. I had nowhere to go, and terror froze me to the spot anyway.

“WELL, WELL, WELL,” he purred, reaching behind me to turn on a stove burner. “I  _WAS_  IN A BAD MOOD, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.” I thought he was going to kill me. The blast of heat from the burner made me worry that he might be planning to cook and eat me as well, but that wasn’t his plan. He held the knife over the open flame on the stovetop until the metal glowed an ominous red. I couldn’t hold back a whimper.

“DON’T WORRY.” His tone was not at all reassuring. “I’M NOT GOING TO DUST YOU; THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY. I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU EXACTLY WHO’S IN CHARGE AROUND HERE.” He removed the knife from the heat and swiftly pressed it against my arm. I shrieked and pulled away, but he grabbed me by the hair and pressed the flat of the heated blade against me again.  “REMEMBER THIS THE NEXT TIME MY BROTHER GIVES YOU ONE OF THOSE STUPID LITTLE TRINKETS.” With a last vicious movement, he pushed up the hem of my shirt and branded my stomach with the knife as well.

The pain overwhelmed me, and I blacked out briefly. When I opened my eyes, YanYan was nowhere to be seen, but I could hear the TV blasting in the living room. Shaking, I went to the sink to rinse my burns with cold water. I threw up as the pain surged again. Trapped in the kitchen, I decided to finish what I’d started. I sliced the cooled cake into almost-even layers with shaking hands. I punctured each layer repeatedly with a fork and poured the raspberry reduction liquid over it so that it soaked into the cake. I spread the lemon curd over the layers and re-stacked them into a layered cake. I spread the top with the remaining lemon curd and poured the solids of the raspberries on top. What a beautiful disaster.

* * *

_Vasi was in the kitchen when he got home. The sweet scent of baked goods mixed with the odor of burning, and he wondered if YanYan had tried to cook for himself again. With a sigh, he entered the kitchen only to see Vasi sitting at the table with her head down. She raised her head when the door opened and smiled tightly when she saw him.  
_

_“I made you something,” she said, gesturing at the countertop to a delicious-looking cake. When she moved her arm he spotted a large angry red welt and rushed over to inspect it._

_“what happened?” he asked, concerned. the burn looked severe and very painful. Vasi’s eyes filled with tears._

_“Oh, this? I just… burned myself while I was baking, that’s all.” She stared listlessly off into space. He wondered if she was in shock. “Try the cake, Sans. It’ll be worth it if it turned out.”  
_

_He cut a slice of the cake and put a forkful in his mouth. Delicious. He told her so. She returned his smile and promptly fainted._


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

I never told Sans about the kitchen incident, and I never will. I couldn’t bear the thought of being called a liar. I even considered the option that he might simply not care. His dedication to YanYan was unshakeable. I stopped leaving my room when Sans wasn’t home, not that a flimsy locked door offered much protection if YanYan wanted to hurt me. I spent anxious evenings pressed against Sans, usually under a blanket because I shivered constantly due to Snowdin’s persistent biting cold (and sometimes YanYan’s icy glare), trying to be as small and unobtrusive as possible. Sometimes I fell asleep while they watched TV, and Sans would carry me upstairs to his room and let me sleep in his bed with him. Those nights were the best. I even feigned sleep sometimes just for the comfort of nighttime companionship.

Nothing sexual ever happened between Sans and I. I harbored a secret crush on him, sure, but he always saw me in a platonic light, like a younger sister or a favorite niece. Taking care of me was therapeutic for Sans; taking care of his brother was such a thankless job that something as simple as gratitude made it worth getting up each morning and putting one foot in front of the other. I tried to be encouraging. I made it my goal to sincerely compliment or thank him at least once a day. YanYan definitely disliked our bond, but I would’ve endured the pain of those burns a million times over to make Sans happy. I owed him my life, after all.

One evening, Sans showed up at my door in a panda kigurumi, and the absolute cuteness of big, bad, Brassberry in a panda suit nearly killed me. 

* * *

_Vasi’s wide-eyed stare made me uncomfortable. Maybe wearing the panda kigurumi was a mistake; she probably thought he looked ridiculous in it. Before he had a chance to retreat and change into something else, however, she bounded over to him, catching him in a surprise hug. She snuggled happily into the soft fabric, and he knew wearing it was the right choice._

_“You look so cute and cuddly,” she breathed, face hidden against his chest. He blushed, finding it hard to look at her when she displayed such open affection. He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up. She squealed excitedly, caught up in the euphoria of a snuggly panda hug. He hoped he wasn’t blushing as vibrantly as his hot cheeks indicated.  
_

_He tried to play it cool. “eh, someone borrowed all my other hoodies. it was this or naked. c’mon, we’re going to watch movies with YanYan.” he carried her downstairs and sat on the couch with Vasi in his lap. He unzipped the kigurumi enough that he could wrap it around her with just her legs sticking out. She hummed contentedly and dozed off halfway through the movie with Brassy gently stroking her hair._

_“cute n cuddly, huh?” Brassberry murmured to himself. YanYan overheard him and snorted with laughter. Vasi stirred and began to wake up._

_“DID SHE TELL YOU THAT?” YanYan asked in a honeyed voice._

_“yea,” Sans replied suspiciously, not trusting his brother’s tone._

_“YOU KNOW SHE’S ONLY BEING LIKE THAT SO YOU’LL PROTECT HER, RIGHT? OH, YOU DIDN’T KNOW? I’M SORRY, SANS, BUT SHE’S PLAYING YOU SO SHE CAN HAVE A GUARD DOG AND A PLACE TO STAY.” The honey evaporated into venom, and Sans’ good mood went with it._

_“No, I-” Vasi started to protest, but Sans cut her short._

_“just go to bed, Vasi.”  
_

_She went upstairs and debated which room she should go into. In the end, she spent the night in her overly pink fortress of solitude, cold, alone, and crying quietly._


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Misery prevented me from sleeping, so I rose with the light of what passed for dawn in the Underground. I padded softly down the hall to Sans’ room, hoping for a chance to make things right somehow. His light shone under the door, so I knocked softly to see if he was awake or had simply forgotten to turn his light off last night.

“it’s open,” his voice called from within. I opened the door and entered.

“Actually, it was closed,” I joked, laughing nervously. Silence. Sans crouched over a box, rifling around inside. A leather jacket, different from his usual one, laid on the floor with photos scattered around it. I edged closer to read the writing on the side of the box. It said: people who came and went. That explained why he hadn’t laughed at my (honestly mediocre) pun; he had unearthed old memories of people who’d left him in the past. He probably expected the same outcome from everyone in his life, including me.

I rushed to him, grabbing him into a fierce hug from behind; tears slipped from my eyes to dot his t-shirt as I pressed my face against the hard, smooth surface of his scapula. “It’s not like that, Sans. I care about you. I’m nice to you because you’re a good person who deserves it, and I know you saved me and gave me a place to stay. I’m so grateful, but I’m not a liar. I really do like you; I think you’re amazing,” I babbled.I finally trailed off, only to be met with another lengthy silence.

“i know,” he replied simply, leaning back into my hug. I peered over his shoulder at the pictures on the floor. They showed a beautiful and voluptuous female monster, sensual and sexy in a way I would never be. I fought down a sharp stab of jealousy. 

“Who is she?” I asked in a subdued voice.

“pink.” The name made sense considering she was a pink-colored lava monster. “my ex girlfriend.” Oh.

“What happened?” I pressed, regretting it immediately. What if she had died or something? Sans answered me in a neutral, emotionless voice, pretending he cared less than he obviously did.

“we broke up. i didn’t give her enough time and attention. she deserved better, and she found it. she’s with someone else now.” He reached out and pulled the jacket to him. “she made this for me.” He lifted it so I could see the metal skull details on the front and the studs on the lapels. Jealousy aside, I had to admit the work was impressive.

He stared at the gift, lost in thought, and I rubbed his back gently. I wanted to comfort him, but there are really no words in a situation like that. I hummed a soft melody as he relived old memories, supporting him in the only way I could- by being there, by being a person who came and never went.

* * *

_He got lost in his thoughts. Memories of Pink replayed in his head while he considered his feelings about Vasi and her possible motives for being so loyal and nice to him. In this world it was TAKE or BE TAKEN. Nothing was free, and most things carried hidden tolls on your emotions that were never truly paid. Why should it bother him if Vasi exchanged kindness and friendship for protection and a place to stay? If he was honest with himself, it wasn’t unexpected. He hadn’t rescued her for her sake after all. He’d rescued her because he wanted a friend… someone to talk to… someone who cared about him. They’d both gotten what they wanted out of the deal._

_Reality crept back to the forefront of his mind, and Sans realized that Vasi was holding him with her head resting against his back, rubbing her hands in soothing circles around his shoulder blades and humming quietly. He remained still, and her hums gradually morphed into softly sung words, riding her warm breath to caress his back._

“If you’ll be my star   
I’ll be your sky.   
You can hide underneath me and come out at night   
When I turn jet black   
And you show off your light.  
I live to let you shine.   
I live to let you shine.   
  
But you can skyrocket away from me   
And never come back if you find another galaxy   
Far from here with more room to fly   
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by…”

_The lyrics penetrated straight to his battered soul. He turned suddenly and gathered her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. She stopped singing, taking a moment to relax into his embrace. “don’t stop singing,” he murmured into her hair. She complied._

“If you’ll be my boat   
I’ll be your sea   
A depth of pure blue just to probe curiosity   
Ebbing and flowing   
And pushed by a breeze.   
I live to make you free.   
I live to make you free.   
  
But you can set sail to the west if you want to   
And pass the horizon, ‘til I can’t even see you   
Far from here   
Where the beaches are wide   
Just leave me your wake to remember you by…” 

_She ended the verse with a yawn, and Sans noticed for the first time how utterly exhausted she looked. She probably hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. He’d heard her tossing and turning, and even crying sporadically throughout the night. He lifted her in his arms and deposited her onto his bed. She smiled drowsily up at him, and for a moment, emotion overwhelmed him. Her trust, her innocent affection, it was too much._

_“ya know, that’s much better than your shower singing,” he commented offhandedly, shoving the jacket and photographs back into their box. He scooted the box into the deep shadows at the back of his closet, like he often shoved the memories themselves to the shadowy corners of his thoughts.  
_

_“You hear me singing in the shower?” She looked mortified._

_“sweetheart, everyone in snowdin hears you singing in the shower. it’s that loud.” He chuckled, then proceeded to mimic her, belting out some generic (terrible) pop music lyrics in the loudest, most off-key voice he could muster. She swatted him playfully._

_“Those are just silly pop songs!“ she exclaimed defensively. “I found this one on the Undernet. It’s a human song, but it sounds so pretty, like a lullaby. You don’t even deserve to hear the last verse, you jerk!” He could tell she wasn’t really angry, just embarrassed._

_“aw, c’mon, sweetheart. don’t be like that.” He stroked her hair, knowing that it was her weakness. She kept her lips tightly closed for a few minutes before finally relenting.  
_

_“It’s just a repeat of the first verse,” she warned, not wanting to disappoint him._

_“_ If you’ll be my star   
I’ll be your sky.   
You can hide underneath me and come out at night   
When I turn jet black   
And you show off your light.   
I live to let you shine.   
I live to let you shine.”

_He donned his jacket, already running late for his sentry job. Her voice provided an ethereal backdrop to his activity._  
  
“But you can skyrocket away from me   
And never come back if you find another galaxy   
Far from here with more room to fly   
Just leave me your stardust to remember you by.” 

_He kissed the top of her head and walked to the door. As he turned off the light and pulled the door closed behind him, her voice trailed off, delivering the final line of the song as she drifted to sleep in his bed._

“Stardust to remember you by…” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called "Boats and Birds" by Gregory and the Hawk.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, suggestive content, spiders/arachnophobia warning, possessiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Even though I woke up well into the afternoon, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I loved being in Sans’ bed whether he was there too or not. The blankets were soft and the pillow always carried enough of his leather-and-manliness scent to make me feel safe and content. I snuggled down deeper into my nest of happiness, but as I half-dozed in Sans’ bed, the conversation from earlier that morning came back to me. I tried to help out around the house as much as possible to give Sans some free time, but was I doing enough? I decided I needed a job.

My heart ached for Sans. I loved him; I couldn’t deny it to myself anymore. He loved someone else though, and he lost her because he just didn’t have time to maintain a relationship. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted him to be happy even if it meant I’d be out on my own again. I thought back on my time living with him and his brother. Sans worked hard at his job as a sentry all day. When he came home, he and Yanyan would chat over dinner then go their own way. Yanyan usually crashed in front of the TV or went to his room to video chat, and Sans liked to play video games or watch movies. I was satisfied with my time watching Sans play games (and I think he liked my fascination with his gaming skills) and snuggling with him during movies, but looking back, his life seemed so lonely now.

I thought the house was empty as I crept to my room for some clean clothes, but YanYan’s voice brought me up short.

“UGH, THERE YOU ARE!” I turned to face him and was immediately blinded by all the glitter and sequins that decorated his clothes. “I’M GOING TO THE MTT NIGHTCLUB. YOU NEED TO GO TO MUFFETT’S AND PICK UP BRASSY’S PAIN MEDS.” That explained the outfit: a rainbow sequined halter crop top and bedazzled short shorts with a rhinestone and chain-link belt. He had accessorized with gladiator sandals, bangle bracelets, and a jeweled choker. He resembled an expensive hooker more than anything. He swept down the stairs and out of the house before I had even recovered enough from the sight of him to answer. 

I threw on a sweater dress and leggings with some warm boots, a wide belt, and a knit cardigan, then I looked myself over in the mirror. I certainly wasn’t as fancy as YanYan, but I looked presentable for a job interview. I brushed my hair with one of my presents from Sans. It had taken him weeks to figure out that I needed a way to comb out my hair. I guess skeletons don’t really have that problem, but when he saw me finger-combing my hair after a shower and asked about it, I informed him that I could really use some kind of comb or brush for it. The brush was silver, heavy and set with beautiful oval lapis lazuli cabochons the same dark blue as my hair.

I took the boat to Hotland and walked to Muffett’s to collect Sans’ pain medicine first. I wanted to make sure I had that in hand before I did anything else because his headwound hurt him constantly, and I couldn’t stand the thought of him not having relief from the pain. As I approached the brothel and apothecary that the spider maven owned, a few off-duty sentries cat-called (dog-called?) at me.

“I hope she doesn’t work here,” a black and white mutt whisper-shouted to his white-furred friend.

“Nah,” the white dog monster sneered. “Muffett has standards.”

“Maybe she’s a shapeshifter,” suggested a third sentry with long ears.

The first sentry snorted. “Why would a shapeshifter ever want to look like  _that_?”

“I wouldn’t fuck her if Muffett paid  _me_ ,” howled Whitey.

I quickened my pace and slipped through the side door into the apothecary before they could throw more insults at me. Once inside, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Muffett’s spiders were scurrying everywhere. I’m not scared of spiders at all, mostly because a tiny eight-legged insect doesn’t compare to watching monsters get tortured to death and knowing your turn was coming soon. I walked forward carefully, cautiously placing my feet to avoid any mishaps. I even said “excuse me” and “pardon me” as the spiders moved out of the way of my feet. I was too preoccupied to notice Muffett’s eyes on me, all of her eyes…

I finally made it to the desk where the Spider Queen sat; she regarded me with a sharp-toothed smile and a puff of pleasant-smelling smoke from a cigarette in a long mahogany holder. “You show such respect to my spiders,” she purred in a voice as smooth as the silk kimono she wore. “That is a wise move, especially in my lair. What can I help you with today, my dear?”

I meant to ask about Sans’ medicine, I truly did, but instead I blurted out: “Can I work here? In the apothecary, I mean. With the spiders. They’re actually nice to me.” During my journey across the room, many of them had raised a leg (or more) in thanks for my considerate movements, and not a single spider had insulted or attacked me. Muffett chuckled, the sound like warm honey. “Oh, and I need Sans’ pain medicine too, please, ma’am,” I quickly added, causing Muffett’s chuckle to erupt into full laughter. She instructed one of her spiders to fetch Sans’ order before addressing me again.

Well,” she said, “we did just have a job open up.” She pointed upwards with two of her hands, indicating that I should look up, so I did. I saw a large of bundle of webbing, and I was about to ask what it was when I saw it  _move_. I gulped. I hoped she didn’t mean I could have a job literally feeding the spiders.

“My last delivery boy thought he could cheat me,” Muffett explained. “You may take his job with his fate as a warning. I’ll see you tomorrow morning if you accept.” The spider returned with with the medication, and Muffett handed it to me, still smiling. I tiptoed my way out, keeping my eyes to the floor for more than just courtesy this time.

I had done it. I’d gotten myself a job.

* * *

_YanYan regaled his brother (and Vasi by proximity) with the latest gossip and stories from his day at the MTT nightclub. Brassberry thought Vasi must’ve caught YanYan’s contagious excitement because her usual quiet demeanor thrummed with energy that night. When YanYan paused to put a forkful of food in his mouth, Vasi spoke into the silence._

_“I got a job,” she declared, “at Muffett’s.” The clatter of Brassy dropping his fork echoed in the silence until his brother gasped, choking on his food. Brassy knew the kind of monsters that went to Muffett’s (himself included sometimes), and he didn’t want those monsters laying their filthy hands on_ his _Vasi. He growled at the thought of one of those mangy dog sentries touching her, fucking her for money and treating her like garbage the way they liked to brag about._

_He stood up, slamming his fists on the table. “what the fuck do you mean you got a job at muffett’s?!” he shouted at the confused girl, whose lip quivered with the closeness of tears._

_“YEAH,” laughed YanYan, “THEY GET PAID BY COMMISSION THERE. I THOUGHT THE POINT OF A JOB WAS TO_ MAKE _MONEY.” He laughed cruelly. Brassberry ground his teeth and his eyes began to show a reddish glow. He hadn’t even heard his brother’s snide comment. He was too busy plotting the bloody and painful demise of any monster stupid enough to even dare_ think _of touching her.  
_

_“What? No!” Vasi stammered in protest. “I’m going to do the deliveries!” The skeleton brothers’ reactions had her slumping low in her chair, scared and defeated. The tears started to fall despite her efforts to fight them.  
_

_“oh.” Brassy’s’ eyes returned to normal and he sat back down in his chair feeling extremely sheepish. Where had that outburst even come from? Silence fell again. “will you be safe? i can give you a knife to carry.” One thing there was not a shortage of in the skeletons’ house was knives._

_“I’ll be ok,” Vasi whispered, sniffling and still visibly upset by his angry reaction to her news. He felt terrible. He didn’t even know how to explain his behavior, but YanYan inexplicably saved the day by turning the conversation back to its rightful place- all about him and his club experience._


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, suggestive/sexual themes, aphrodisiac scent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

When Sans offered to escort me to work the next morning, I assumed he meant he’d walk with me as far as one of his sentry posts. We rode with Riverperson to Hotland, but Sans walked right past his sentry station towards the caves where the Spider Queen ran her business. I didn’t say anything about it. Even though he seemed withdrawn, I enjoyed his company. He stopped before we entered the caverns, though, and turned to me.

“you don’t have to do this, you know,” he said, his voice a quiet rumble like a dangerous animal purring. “if you want to get out of the house, you can go shopping or to grillby’s. i’ll give you spending money if you need it.” He sounded so solemn and sincere. I fought the urge to reach out and touch his cheekbone.

“I’m doing it for you,” I replied softly.

“you don’t have to.”

“I do,” I insisted. “You do everything for me. Please let me do this for you, so you don’t have to work so much.” He sighed resignedly at my plea. Suddenly, he pulled me into a tight hug.

“be safe,” he instructed me, and before I could answer, he pressed a sheathed knife into my hands. “if anyone even looks at you wrong, you fuckin’ stab ‘em, ok?” I tried to give the knife back; I couldn’t stab anyone! Sans ignored me and walked through the entrance to the caves, and I scurried to catch up with him.

There were monsters, workers at the brothel from their state of dress (or undress), standing around outside, waiting for customers. I saw recognition on a few of the faces when they saw Sans, and some lascivious smiles appeared when they caught sight of me a step and a half behind him. A pretty slime monster waved; Sans ignored her.

“Hey Brassberry,” greeted a warm male voice. “You bring along a friend this time?” I turned towards the sound. The speaker was some sort of plant monster; his body was a vibrant green color, highlighted with stripes and whorls of bright orange. Leaves and vines sprouted from various places on his arms and naked torso. He also smelled amazing. I didn’t even realize I had moved until I felt a sharp tug on my arm.

* * *

_Just his luck, he ran into Avi, of all monsters, while dropping Vasi off at Muffett’s for her first day of work. The sleazy plant monster wasn’t even a prostitute; he produced the nectar that Muffett used in her aphrodisiacs. He also liked to hang out at the brothel because he considered gossip a personal hobby. The cretin emitted a pheromone-laced scent which could drive unsuspecting monsters into a heat-like daze, but he knew better than to be taken in by the cloying, overly-sweet musk. Vasi, apparently, did not._

_She’d already taken several steps in Avi’s direction before Brassberry realized the effect that his pheromones were having on her. He snatched at her sleeve, but she pulled out of his grasp easily. One of Avi’s vines unfurled and crept up Vasi’s leggings to curl tantalizingly around her thigh. Brassy growled warningly, stepping towards Vasi to pull her away from the other monster, but Avi just laughed and dragged her forward with his vine, wrapping an arm around her waist. Her eyes were dazed, her face flushed, and when Avi leaned forward and huffed his warm breath onto her neck, she let out a tiny gasp of pleasure._

* * *

I couldn’t take my eyes off of Avi’s beautiful markings. He knew Sans. I wondered if they’d had sex. The sight of the vines and the thought of Sans coalesced into a glorious fantasy of bondage and threesomes with Sans and Avi that left me hot and flustered. I didn’t remember approaching Avi, but his vine stroking my thigh and his breath on my neck sent exquisite pleasure through me as I imagined Sans touching me that way. I felt a bruising pressure on my arm, and my knees almost buckled.

* * *

_He had a firm grip on her this time, and she wasn’t going to pull away. She’d practically thrown herself on Avi, but at his touch she leaned backwards into him, with a needy mewl that made him uncomfortable. Damn Avi. The plant monster chuckled as Brassberry pulled the girl away from him._

_“Calm down, Brassy,” he cooed condescendingly. “I’m just playing with her. Besides, she seems to like it, don’t you think?”_

_“get your fucking vines off of her before i rip them off,” was his reply. Avi retracted his vine and toned down his alluring scent, sensing that he had perhaps pushed Brassberry a bit too far for his own safety._

_“Whoa, hey, I didn’t know it was like that,” Avi said as the girl in question blinked groggily against the skeleton monster’s chest. He’d released her arm, but held her firmly to prevent her from falling or stumbling closer to Avi again._

_“it’s not like that,” Brassy backtracked. “she’s just…” he paused, not sure exactly how to define what she was to him. “she’s under my protection, so watch your step, weed.”_

_“Don’t you worry your big ugly skull about it. I’ll keep an eye on her, all over her really. There are some real pervs that like to come around here, right Brassy?” Brassberry’s eyes blazed red, and Avi took that as his cue to make good his escape. “Well, well, look at the time. Gotta get to work. Don’t want to be late, ya know!” He headed for the side door of the apothecary with a prudent amount of haste._

_Vasi swiped a hand across her eyes. “Wh-what happened?” she mumbled groggily._

_Brassberry tightened the arm supporting her. He told himself it was supportive, but he began to wonder if there wasn’t some possessiveness there under the surface. What was wrong with him? “you zoned out,” he said absently. “probably just the heat from hotland or nerves or something.”_

_“Oh.” She stood there a moment, a look of confusion on her face, but she quickly replaced it with a smile. She took a step towards the apothecary side door, stepping out of his arms seamlessly, as if she hadn’t noticed they were there. As she pushed the door open, he called out to her to wait. She looked back at him, door partially open._

_“you really sure you want this job?” he asked her one final time._

_“Of course!” she replied, beaming, the earlier incident a fuzzy undefined half-memory already._

_Fuck._


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, explicit sexual content, violence, possessiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_Brassberry really didn’t feel like sentry duty at the moment.  With a dom heat due any day now, his confusing possessiveness towards Vasi rivaled his irritation at Avi, and both problems needled him like an itch he couldn’t scratch. Instead, he focused on the itch he could scratch. Since herbicide was out of the question, he decided to ditch work for the morning and fuck away his emotions at the brothel. He didn’t know if it should bother him or not that everyone seemed to recognize him as he walked through the door. If Avi told Vasi, what would she think? Ugh, why did it matter to him what Vasi thought of his sex life?_

_The slime girl from earlier spotted him from across the room. She waved, but Brassberry was lost in his thoughts and ignored her again. She approached him in a huff.  
_

_“Brassy,” she purred, draping herself across his chest. “I haven’t seen you in ages,” she pouted, eyes half-lidded and filled with desire. She reached down to rub him through his pants, but he pushed her away._

_“not today.” He wasn’t looking for a good time; he was looking to give someone else a bad time. He scanned the room until he found the monster he wanted. At first glance the rabbit monster looked mangy and disheveled, but a closer look showed a tracery of healed over cuts, burns, and bite marks. He wore them proudly, a bold statement of exactly what kind of sex he enjoyed- rough, possessive, violent. Brassy grinned; the masochist rabbit fit his mood perfectly.  
_

_He strode purposefully over to where the rabbit monster sat swirling a drink and wearing a look of boredom-_ only _a look of boredom and some very tight, very short shorts. Sans tossed some gold down on the table. The other monster eyed the gold for a long moment before picking it up and giving the skeleton a meek smile. “Wait here, sir, and I’ll get us a room.” The high lilting tone of the rabbit monster’s voice grated on his nerves, and he ignored the request to wait and followed the prostitute to the front desk._

_Gold changed hands, and a big burly fish monster with needle-like teeth tossed a key to Brassberry, leering. “You two have an hour. More time means more gold.”  
_

_“Is that ok?” the rabbit monster asked in his tremulous voice._

_“i ain’t payin’ ya to talk,” Brassy growled, grabbing the monster’s arm and dragging him down a hallway to the room whose number matched the one on the key. He shoved his sex partner through the door, causing him to fall, sprawled across the bed, face flushed with arousal. Perfect._

_Brassy snagged the waistband of the monster’s shorts with one hand, yanking them off roughly, and causing the him to gasp in pleasure. With his other hand, he unbuttoned and unzipped his own pants, letting his eager length bob free of the confines of the fabric. No prep, no foreplay, Brassy buried himself deeply in the rabbit monster’s tight asshole.  
_

_“T-t-too… f-fast!” cried the annoying voice as the skeleton monster forced himself in to the hilt without giving his partner a chance to adjust. He pulled almost completely out before hilting in him again, even more forcefully this time. Every bit of rage and frustration he felt over Avi touching Vasi poured out of him as he mercilessly pounded into the ass beneath him, deaf to the cries of the monster he was roughly fucking.He sank his fingers into the thick soft fur of the other monster’s haunch, drawing blood and tearing out small tufts of the sandy brown hair.  
_

_The carnal catharsis had nothing to do with sexual pleasure and everything to do with control, domination, and violence. The rabbit monster’s sharp gasps and moans were punctuated by animalistic grunts and growls from the skeleton savagely wrecking his asshole. Anger satiated, sweating and panting from the exertion, Sans pulled out, leaving the prostitute limp and bleeding on the bed.  
_

_Each room had a separate area with a sink and shower for the workers and their patrons to clean up before returning to the lounge area; Brassberry needed to get the blood off of his hands and still erect cock. Afterwards he splashed some water on his face, contemplating his other problem. The angry sex had cleared his head enough to realize that the possessiveness must be a partial symptom of his upcoming heat. Plus, why shouldn’t he feel possessive after he had saved Vasi’s life and given her a place to stay and his protection? She needed him; she relied on him. She trusted him completely, just as a little sister would. That answer satisfied him. Who wouldn’t feel possessive of a treasured sibling? He stepped out of the washroom._

_“hey, we still got a few minutes,” he said to the other monster, who had turned onto his side, revealing that he, at least, had reached orgasm during their rough sex. Brassy grabbed him by the long ears, steering his face towards his throbbing erection. “open your mouth.”  
_

_Brassberry spent the rest of the day snoozing at his Hotland sentry station, mind completely at ease._

* * *

When Sans picked me up from work that evening, he looked more relaxed than he had since I’d told him about my job. He must’ve spent all day slacking off at his sentry post, but he needed it. The tense aura that had surrounded him was finally gone, and he smiled at me easily again… until he spotted the brooch I now wore.

“What’s that?” he asked tersely, pointing at the obsidian spider with a ruby hourglass on its abdomen.

“Muffett gave it to me,” I replied proudly. “It lets other monsters know I work for her, so I’ll be safe when I do the deliveries. Also, her spiders will be able to keep an eye on me while I’m out in case anything happens. See? You don’t have to worry; this job is completely safe!” Was his eye twitching? I tried to get a better look, but he’d schooled his face back to calmness. I didn’t understand why he was so upset with me lately. Maybe I had misjudged his mood though because he reached forward and pulled me close, hugging me tightly. He kept his hand protectively on the small of my back for the entire trip home.

* * *

_He kept repeating to himself that it was just a part of her uniform, not a mark of possession. Muffett was protecting her, not claiming her. He needed to calm down. He wanted to rip the brooch off of her shirt and lock her in her room, safely tucked away from the rest of the world.  
_

_Instead, he went straight to Grillby’s._


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, strong sexual themes, noncon/dubcon thoughts, noncon/dubcon element (drunken sex)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_The new job left Vasi exhausted but content at the end of the next day, which didn’t help him any. She cuddled and dozed off against him after dinner, and with his heat growing,it drove him crazy. On her third day of work he decided not to pick her up; his bones burned intensely, fueled by sexual need. He headed straight home to throw together dinner, planning to stop back by the brothel or maybe head to Grillby’s later to relieve himself._

_He started dinner right away even though YanYan hadn’t come home yet. Vasi walked through the door looking dejected and tired, but there was still no sign of his brother. Sans grabbed his phone and sent out a quick text:_

_*where r u_

_The response came quickly:_

_*Busy_

_*Don’t wait up  
_

_He tossed his phone onto the table. Whatever. He waited, hunched grumpily over his plate of food, wondering what was taking Vasi so long when he heard her slowly climbing the stairs. Without leaving his chair, he shouted in her direction: “vasi! food’s ready!” Her footsteps went silent, then approached. She peeked through the kitchen doorway._

_“I’m not hungry,” she murmured, barely more than a whisper. She sounded so sad, but his heat caused him to feel irritated rather than sympathetic._

_He grabbed the plates. “I don’t know why the fuck I even bother making dinner for you two,” he growled, throwing the plates, food included, in the sink so hard that one of the dishes broke. “Fucking eat that if you’re hungry later.” Vasi flinched away from the sound of breaking glass, backing herself up against the wall. She looked so innocent, so vulnerable; it made him hungry in a different way. He shook his head, pushing past her to hurry to his room. Fucking heat._

* * *

I stood in the kitchen after Sans left, trembling like a leaf, trying to figure out how I had managed to make him so angry at me. He’d dropped me off at work without a word, and I thought he was preoccupied. What if he had been angry then too? Confused, I considered the possibility that I had done something wrong last night. Maybe I’d upset him by falling asleep during his video game campaign? I’d waited for him at Muffett’s until the realization dawned that he wasn’t going to show up. I’d felt abandoned, exposed, suddenly alone in a way that shocked me and made my stomach hurt.

I’d gotten home to find a carefree Sans texting in the kitchen as if it didn’t matter to him whether I made it home safely or not. I felt a twisting pain in my heart watching him ignore me as if I were invisible or inconsequential. The very idea of trying to eat made me feel nauseous, so I headed upstairs to shower. He called me back downstairs; I told him I wasn’t hungry. He’d thrown things and shouted and stormed off to his room, and I knew I’d somehow messed up again. Tears flowed freely down my face as I quietly cleaned up the kitchen and put away the leftovers. Maybe I needed to do more around the house? I’d been too tired yesterday, but maybe I could help with the laundry tonight.

First, though, I needed that shower. The hot water would relax me and wash away the sweat and dirt of a hard day of work.

* * *

_Brassberry stalked around his room to calm himself. He’d listened to Vasi cleaning up the kitchen, and he knew he should apologize. He inhaled deeply as she walked past his closed door and stepped into the hall, realizing too late that she wasn’t going to her room at all. Instead, she slipped into the bathroom, already shedding her clothes along the way. He shut his door quickly and gently, trying to ignore the erection growing in his pants. Normally the sight of Vasi naked wouldn’t have affected him at all; she really wasn’t his type. In his heat however, he didn’t see her features as much as he focused on her defenselessness. They were alone, and the person she relied on to protect her had become a dangerous predator.  
_

_The rush of adrenaline and pheromones heightened his senses, and the scent and sound of her naked body under the hot water had him completely riled up. He rubbed his hands against the glowing bulge in his pants. She didn’t have to be attractive; she just needed a tight wet hole for him to fuck. All he had to do was walk down the hall and…_

_Brassy shook his head abruptly.  Ugh. Revulsion washed over him. He swore he would never be a monster like his father. Gaster took advantage of those who trusted and relied on him; Brassy believed he was better than that, yet somehow the thought of his father’s abuse, the thought of his father’s slithering tentacles, brought his hands back to the front of his pants. Damn this heat! Maybe if he rubbed one out really fast, he’d be sane enough to make it to Grillby’s without hurting anyone… except maybe Grillby later… The friction of the fabric felt good, and it didn’t take long until he groaned with pleasure… so close…_

* * *

The shower definitely helped. Fresh and clean, I felt like a monster again, and I mentally prepared myself to apologize to Sans for whatever I’d done to make him angry at me. I stared at myself in the mirror, trying to school my face from “verge of tears” to “calm and sincere.” That’s when I heard a groan from Sans’ room. I grabbed a towel to cover myself and hurried down the hall. More groans. Worried, I knocked loudly on the door.

“Sans, are you ok? Open up!” What if he wasn’t mad at all? What if he was sick, and I had been so selfish and thoughtless with my new job to notice? The door slammed open, interrupting my inner tirade. The compassionate protector I knew and loved had evaporated, replaced by a red-eyed demon radiating power and menace. The change terrified me, and I backed away, cringing against the far wall of the hallway unable to hold back a frightened whimper.

* * *

_His mouth watered as the delicious scent of Vasi’s fear filled his nasal cavity. Just the sight of him had her shrinking against the wall with nothing but a towel to stand in his way. She cowered, eyes wide, hands shaking slightly, and he wanted nothing more than to force himself on her, dominate her,_ hurt  _her. She couldn’t fight back; she probably wouldn’t even try. He could do whatever he wanted. He took an unconscious step towards her and she whimpered, causing his erection to strain further against the fabric of his pants. So easy… it would be so easy…_

_He tore the towel out of her hands, but she crouched in a fetal position against the onslaught, presenting him with very little to touch or see. She sobbed his name, begging and apologizing, and he began to snap out of the haze of lust that consumed him. He wasn’t Gaster. He couldn’t do this. He wouldn’t do this. Not to Vasi, who he cared for like a sister. He wasn’t a sick freak like his father who never understood family boundaries. Except he knew he could do this to her,_ would _do this to her, if he didn’t get out of the house immediately._

_“vasi, go to your room and lock the door_ now _,” he ordered, his voice extra deep and grating. He turned away, relying on his hearing to confirm her obedience. She scrambled noisily to her room, still sobbing; he heard the lock click. He fought the urge to follow her though his legs (and other parts of him) ached to take those few strides down the hall to her door. The lock wouldn’t be much protection…. He tossed the towel into the bathroom hamper, disgusted by his behavior but still needing relief from his heat. He hurried to Grillby’s._

_The sign on the door read “Closed for the day.” Brassberry ground his teeth in frustration. Dammit! He resigned himself to the trek to the brothel, but as he started down the road, he caught sight of one of Grillby’s regulars slumped against the building half hidden in the shadows of the alley. The alcoholic rabbit monster reeked of liquor and desperation._

_“Hey baby, you lookin’ fer a good time?” she slurred at him. Perfect._

_She had lost consciousness by the time he’d satisfied his heat. He couldn’t tell if she’d blacked out from booze or the merciless fucking they’d engaged in for hours behind the closed bar. Either way, he’d returned to his senses enough to drop her off at the inn so she wouldn’t freeze to death in the snow. His next task would be making things right with Vasi. He’d scared her; fuck, he’d been thinking about raping her!_

_By the time he got home, he was completely drained. The deep sleep that followed a satisfied heat dragged at him, but he needed to take care of Vasi first. He tried her door handle, but it was locked. Good girl, he thought. He’d deal with it in the morning after he slept. He could barely keep his eyes open long enough to collapse on the bed, and sleep claimed him before he had a chance to hear Vasi whimpering in her sleep, begging a nightmare version of himself not to hurt her._

* * *

**“How long do we have to stay here?” Grillby grumbled for what felt like the millionth time that night.**

**“I don’t know why you’re complaining,” YanYan sniffed. “This is a high-end establishment. You should be enjoying yourself. Besides, you won’t get the emeralds unless you stay all night.” The fire elemental sighed and went back to staring disinterestedly at the strippers working the poles. The club had variety, but missing Brassy’s dom heat for monsters he couldn’t actually do anything with?  
**

**“Those emeralds had better be worth it,” he hissed under his breath.**

**YanYan grinned wickedly. Hopefully his plan would work and Vasi would be out of his proverbial hair for good after tonight. The younger skeleton monster had known his brother’s heat would peak tonight. He’d arranged to get Grillby out of town to leave his brother with few options. He could make the trip to Muffett’s, but why waste the energy when there was a helpless victim already in the house?**

**His brother’s laziness would play to his advantage. Once he’d raped Vasi, she’d leave, or Brassy would feel guilty enough to make her leave. YanYan wouldn’t have to worry about that little slut taking up any more of his brother’s time. Not after tonight. This was so much more entertaining than dusting her!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

I ate a lonely breakfast the next morning. YanYan didn’t seem to be home, and Sans was nowhere to be seen either. I poured myself some cereal, but my appetite failed halfway through eating it. I went to work alone, did my deliveries alone, and came home alone. All day, my thoughts were filled with possible mistakes, real or imagined, that might’ve angered Sans. I planned my apology the whole way home.

When I arrived back at the house, I found Sans in the kitchen, eyes still squinty from sleep, nursing a steaming cup of coffee. He glanced up, blinking, then stood quickly from his chair when he recognized me. His voice was still thick with sleep when he spoke.

“vasi, i-”

I interrupted him with a babbled stream of apologies. My words were barely coherent, but I guess he understood well enough because he closed the distance between us in one stride.

“vasi, stop apologizing.” My reaction to his words? Another apology. I couldn’t help it. I felt nervous and drained, and I just wanted to make things better between us again. Sans took my hands in his; his larger smooth bone hands completely encompassing my much smaller ones. I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes, and he looked down at me as a gamut of emotions passed across his face.

“vasi….” He murmured my name on a breath that caressed my face before carrying its message to my ear. His eyes were half-lidded and oh-so-intense. Was he going to kiss me? A blush crept up my cheeks.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?” YanYan’s demanding voice shattered the moment and ground it into dust. “WHERE’S DINNER? DOESN’T ANYONE DO  _ANYTHING_  AROUND HERE?”

* * *

**Unbelievable! What the actual fuck was going on around here? YanYan had expected to come home to a quiet dinner with his guilt-ridden but peacefully unaccompanied brother, but instead, Vasi and Brass had been standing in the kitchen holding hands and exchanging meaningful looks. She hadn’t left, and the situation had failed to produce any entertainment value. Vasi’s presence was a thorn in his side, and he’d find a way to get rid of her despite Brassy’s feelings and Muffett’s protection. YanYan _always_  got what he wanted.**

* * *

YanYan’s sudden appearance startled me, and I scrambled around the kitchen trying to help Sans get dinner ready, but mostly just getting underfoot. I will never know what might’ve happened, good or bad, but I still firmly believed I could do better for my skeleton benefactor. An idea unfolded as I helped Sans clean his head wound that night. Despite my gentleness and the great care I took not to jostle the injury, Sans had hissed with pain while I carefully re-bandaged him. No matter how many pain pills he took, the close contact of dressing the wound always caused him pain.

I rushed to gather the laundry for the night, assuring Sans that I would take care of it for him. As I sorted the clothes, I considered the problem. The pain meds helped with the general pain, but they did nothing to focus on the increased pain and sensitivity at the injury site. Despite his excessive pill use, Sans still suffered from constant pain. What if Muffett could develop a localized pain solution? Something like a nicotine patch but for pain medicine. If the patch could be applied directly to the injury in the form of a bandage, it would relieve his suffering.

* * *

_Vasi worked extra hard that night, doing all of his usual chores for him. Normally he would’ve helped out, but he still felt the exhaustion from his heat. It felt nice to let someone else take care of everything.and just relax. She’d even curled up in his lap and fallen asleep while he played an ultra-violent video game, unaffected by the screams and explosions from his speakers. He carried her to bed that night, only to be awoken in the wee hours of the morning by her whimpers of fright._

_“vasi,wake up. it’s ok. i’m here.” When her eyes shot open though, she regarded him with undisguised terror, and she quickly scooted away from him on the bed. After several long minutes the tension drained from her body, and she snuggled against him, shivering slightly. He’d recognized the look in her eyes though; it was the same look from the previous night. She’d been afraid of him, possibly even having a nightmare about him. Sorry would never erase that memory from her; even time could only fade it to a faceless unease in the back of her mind.He’d never realized just how heavy regret could be._

* * *

I excitedly pitched my idea to Muffett the next day, and I could tell the Spider Queen approved of my ambitious idea. For the next few weeks, I spent part of my days delivering products and the rest of my day developing one. Being in the lab also meant spending time with Avi. Despite his obvious mutual animosity with Sans, I found him charming.He flirted harmlessly and told me all of the most wild and hilarious (and probably completely made up) gossip. I found it interesting that he never gossiped about Sans or YanYan, especially YanYan. I couldn’t imagine YanYan  _not_  getting into some scandalous shenanigans, but I never asked.

It took weeks to develop a suitable topical pain medication that wouldn’t be ruined by or completely ruin the bandage adhesive. Only a single problem remained- dosage. The new medication we’d developed was completely different than the medication Sans currently used, so it was difficult to estimate a dosage for him. I didn’t want to show my hand to him too soon; I wanted this to be a special surprise for him to pay him back for taking care of me. I knew that my limit equated to about half of his dosage on his usual pills, so it made sense to me that a half dose of the new pain patches would allow me to figure out an appropriate amount for Sans.

I just needed to inflict some pain on myself and try the patches out. Easy peasy, right?


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, suggestive content, possessiveness/extreme jealousy, violence, blood/gore, self-harm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Trying out the new medication wasn’t easy. Muffett had assured me that a research team would run experiments to figure out an appropriate dosage. Impatience plagued me; I wanted this for Sans now! I refused to wait, but I also refused to be careless. I asked Muffett for permission to try the new medication on myself with the stipulation that I had a serum to reverse the medicine’s effect. It took an agonizing week for Muffett’s lab team to develop the reversal serum.

Finally, I had everything I needed to create the perfect gift for Sans- the gift of relief from pain. Now, I prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to complete it. I started small- an unnoticeable cut on my abdomen and a single drop of the pain reliever on a bandage.It worked, but I worried that the cut had been too small. It hadn’t hurt that much to begin with. I decided to go bigger.

Over the next few week, I made deeper and deeper injuries across my chest and stomach, the places I hoped Sans wouldn’t notice them. I continued to take charge of the laundry so I could hide any bloodstains on my clothing. I’d returned to my normal work pattern of all-day deliveries, and I always felt ravenous at dinner as my body fought to heal the self-inflicted wounds. I made vague excuses to avoid sleeping with Sans; despite the occasional concerned look, he didn’t suspect a thing.

* * *

_She was so preoccupied lately. Brassberry wondered if she’d been spending time with Avi again. Whenever he dropped her off to work, the plant monster lurked nearby, always making sure Brassy saw him following Vasi inside the building. Were they fucking? He knew it was none of his business what Vasi did or with whom, but the thought of Avi touching Vasi filled him with disproportionate rage. Avi, with his pheromone scent, luring Vasi in, letting his vines snake up her thighs, his hands on her as she leaned into him, moaning softly at his touch…  
_

_Brassy shook his head. He planned to sort Avi out when it came to Vasi. She may not belong to him, but he protected her, especially from disgusting perverts like Avi. He waited in the shadows of the cave, watching Vasi leave with a basket of deliveries in her arms. He felt like a big, bad wolf stalking her, but his true target was still inside. He often napped the day away at his sentry post, unconcerned by his surroundings, but today, from his vantage point in the shadows, he watched the side door with unwavering focus for hours before Avi finally emerged._

_Avi wore a sly smile as he headed over to the brothel, but he never reached his destination. Brassy pounced on him with a snarl, throwing him to the ground; Avi slashed at his face with thorny claws. He slammed his fist into Avi’s face once, twice, in quick succession before grabbing a handful of the vines that spilled down the plant monster’s naked chest. He yanked them viciously, and Avi cried out in pain, giving up his feeble attempt to fight._

_“are you fucking vasi?” His voice rumbled like thunder, low and dangerous._

_“Wouldn’t you like to know,” sneered Avi, flippant even when threatened._

_Brassberry ground a boot against the other monster’s shoulder, using it to brace himself and yanked again, harder, on the vines in his hands. Avi screamed, a shrill unnatural sound. The skeleton twisted, pulling harder still until a handful of the vines ripped free from Avi’s green skin. Green ichor poured out of the wounds and dripped onto the ground._

_“if i find out you’ve so much as looked at vasi, i’ll fucking dust you, you piece of shit,” Sans spat, throwing the rapidly dying vines onto the ground._

_He watched Vasi that night, watched her closely. She wolfed down dinner, then spent a distant and distracted night watching a movie with him. He doubted she would recall the plot if he asked her about it. She bid him a a good night and went to her room. She hadn’t slept with him since the night he’d awoken her from her nightmare and discovered that it was about him. He hadn’t argued about it. He couldn’t stand to see that look of terror on her face, couldn’t stand to see her cringe away from him as if he might hit her._

_A pall of loneliness settled over the entire skeleton household._

* * *

I braced myself. The only way to find out if the amount of medicine would truly work for Sans, I needed a similar wound. The desire to help Sans filled me with determination; the thought of carving a deep crater in my stomach filled me with dread. I couldn’t measure the effect of the medicine on Sans’ pain without experiencing a similar pain myself. I took a deep breath and pressed the knife Sans had given me against my stomach. I hissed in pain at the initial puncture before I gritted my teeth and began hacking at my own flesh.

Blood splattered everywhere as I hurried to widen the wound before I passed out. I fought nausea and dizziness as I grabbed the bottle of pain medicine. My hands shook as I applied 7 drops of the medicine onto a bandage. I fumbled with the bandage, struggling to apply it as the strength bled out of me and darkness fell like a curtain across my vision. I managed to afix the bandage just as I collapsed onto the floor, hoping Sans wouldn’t smell the overwhelming scent of blood.

* * *

_He awoke to the scent of blood, a lot of blood. YanYan’s xyrophilia guaranteed frequent trace odors of blood in the house, but this was different. He leapt out of bed to find the source of the smell. He didn’t need to go far, only one door down from his room in fact. He grabbed her doorknob, and it turned easily in his hand. Unlocked… because Vasi trusted him to keep her safe. He entered her room only to find a bloodbath. She slumped on the floor, the knife he’d given her to protect herself next to her, covered in blood._

_He knelt next to her, lifting her blood soaked shirt to reveal a torso covered in gashes and tears in varying stages of healing. Some still wept blood, while others formed bright white scars on her already pale skin. The source of the fresh blood stood out starkly- a once-pristine white bandage now soaked through with crimson which flowed out beneath it in an alarming amount. He shook her shoulder, gently at first, then more forcefully._

_“vasi, wake up. you’ve got to wake up for me, sweetheart. you’ve gotta tell me what happened, who did this.” He already suspected the answer. The room only contained one person’s scent- her own. She had done this to herself, with a knife_ he’d _given her. It couldn’t have been a suicide attempt though; the wounds had been carefully created in non-fatal areas. Even the blood loss didn’t explain her shallow breathing, slow heartbeat, and deep unconsciousness._

_He gathered her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He needed to clean the blood off and remove the bandage to assess the wound. The still seeping blood soaked eagerly into his shirt as he held her against his chest as if to implicate him in her self-harm._

_He laid her in the bathtub and peeled her sticky shirt off over her head. He hesitated for a brief moment before removing her bra, pants, and panties. The guilt he felt from his thoughts during his heat wracked him even though he only intended to check her for more injuries. What if she woke up and thought he was trying to rape her? What if her nightmares became a reality to her? He knew the truth, but would she understand, or would she leave forever? It didn’t matter if she never woke up. He had to tend to her._

_He soaked a washcloth in warm water and dabbed away the blood on her abdomen, jaw set. The state of the injuries showed that she’d been hurting herself since around the time he had attacked her; it couldn’t be a coincidence. She may have held the knife, but he had done this to her. His soul twisted in his ribcage._

_He delicately lifted the bandage off of her recent wound, uncovering a gut-wrenching (even for a monster without actual guts) sight. The cut resembled a bite missing from her flesh- deep and wide with jagged edges, flesh torn and mangled. It reminded him of his own wound, and he cleaned it as gently as he could. She still remained unconscious. He frowned. The pain of cleaning the wound should be excruciating, yet she didn’t awaken._

_As he patted her dry and reached for the first aid kit they kept for his own wound-cleaning, he noticed that his hand had gone numb. He stared at the offending appendage for a moment. He could still move his fingers, but he couldn’t_ feel _anything. He narrowed his eyes contemplatively then picked up the bandage. He sniffed it carefully, sorting through the layers of scent. Blood… Vasi… his own scent… and something astringent that he couldn’t identify. Some kind of drug!_

_With a growl, he pulled out his phone. He’d call Muffett and get to the bottom of this, and that fucking Spider Queen had better hope whatever concoction Vasi was using didn’t kill her. He’d just started to dial when Vasi began to thrash. He held her down so she wouldn’t hurt herself, earning himself a smack to the face for his efforts. Foam appeared at the corners of her mouth, and he realized that she was having a reaction to whatever drug had been on that bandage. He needed to call Muffett now!_

_He dialed quickly and propped his phone between his shoulder and skull so that his hands were free to hold Vasi down while she experienced the violent seizures. The response to his call surprised him._

_“Is Vasilia having a reaction to the medication?” Muffett asked in a smooth falsetto._

_He recovered from the shock quickly. “you’re fuckin’ right she’s having a reaction. what the fuck did she take? why didn’t you do something? do you even fucking care that she’s dying?” he exploded._

_“I assure you I care very much, Brassberry. I discouraged her, but she is a stubborn girl, so I took precautions. If you check her room you will find a syringe filled with a bright orange substance. Inject her with it, and she will be fine.” Muffett’s voice, unlike his, stayed cool and calm._

_He dropped his phone before she even finished speaking, hurrying into Vasi’s room to look for the syringe. He found it easily, sitting on her nightstand, as if she thought she might need it. He snatched it quickly and ran into the bathroom where he found Vasi choking on her own saliva. he pulled her upright, whacking her on the back with he uncapped the syringe with his mouth and plunged it into her arm. It took effect almost instantly._

* * *

I swam through a slow sludge into consciousness. My disconnected thoughts finally coalesced a moment before controlled movement returned.My tongue lagged behind the rest of my recovery, so I made a garbled sound instead of asking what had happened. I also foolishly tried to stand and face-planted out of the bathtub where I had apparently been seated… naked. I suppose my fine motor skills would need a bit more recovery time as well.

I laid on the floor, shivering from cold or shock- I couldn’t tell- while Sans hovered over me with a worried expression. I assumed a worried expression would equate to soothing words, but when Sans opened his mouth to speak, every word became a shout.

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING? YOU COULD’VE DIED! WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO FUCKING  _STUPID_?”

I flinched at the verbal onslaught, tears welling up in my eyes. “I did it for you.” My clumsy tongue mumbled the words, but I knew he heard me because he gathered me into his arms and hugged me while tears streamed down his cheekbones. He buried his face in my hair, one arm around my waist, one hand in my hair, stroking it. It would’ve felt nice except for the burning pain in my stomach.

“you could’ve died,” he murmured as if his voice had run out of volume after shouting.

“I had an antidote,” I attempted to reassure him. He put a hand on each side of my face, forcing me to look at him. The intensity I saw in his eyes made my stomach flutter. “I just.. just wanted to do something for you…” The tears started to flow in earnest. “It’s a bandage with a topical pain ointment… for your head… I had to test it so we’d know the dosage,” I sniffled, crying against his shirt, which already held a good amount of my blood.

“i’m not worth it,” he said, putting a finger to my lips before I could argue. “nothing’s worth losing you, vasi. nothing. i was so scared.” the last sentence came out as barely a whisper. “i can’t lose you.” Sans lifted me and carried me to my bed, then left to bring me some food and fresh bandages for my stomach wound.

I couldn’t believe I meant so much to anyone. I couldn’t believe I mattered so much to Sans.

* * *

**The commotion in the bathroom woke YanYan, and he hated being woken up before he was ready. Throwing off his blankets, he hopped out of bed and stomped to his door. When he opened it, though, an interesting sight met him. Brassy and Vasi were doing… something in the bathroom. YanYan’s passion for eavesdropping piqued.**

**He crept close enough to see what was going on. Brassy wore only a shirt and boxers, and Vasi… Vasi was completely naked. Brassy held her, and he whispered words to her that YanYan couldn’t quite hear.**

**He moved slightly further down the hallway until he could make out Brassy’s voice.**

**“nothing’s worth losing you, vasi…”  
**

**YanYan’s eyes narrowed in rage, and his left eyelight flared with orange-gold magic. He stormed back into his room, looking for something to destroy, someone to maim, but he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied by anything less than Vasi herself.**

**Vasi-fucking-lia. He hated her name, hated everything about her. How dare she come into _his_  house and try to steal  _his_  brother away from him? He would  _not_  allow it. That blue-haired bitch had to go, and YanYan was already plotting ways to make it happen.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> WARNING: sexually explicit content, strong language, sexual violence, rape/noncon, child abuse mention, child sexual abuse mention, aphrodisiac use, blood/gore, depression/mental abuse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

**That piece of trash Vasilia had lived with them for almost two years, and YanYan still hadn’t succeeded in getting rid of her. The blue-haired bitch sure didn’t make things easy for him either. Muffett’s protection severely limited his options unless he felt like becoming a gorgeous snack for one of her hideous pets. It didn’t matter. If Vasi disappeared, that idiot Brassberry would probably leave anyway to search for her, and if she dusted, he’d be a useless lump of depression.**

**Instead, YanYan had used his brilliant mind to think of a way to be rid of her. Just wait until she had a heat cycle and let his disgusting unscrupulous brother have his way with her, maybe even maim or kill her. The guilt would weigh Brassy down, and he’d make her leave without YanYan having to do anything. Then a new problem arose. She’d been here for nearly two years and not had a single heat cycle!**

**Frustration nettled YanYan, but he never gave up until he got his way. He’d get rid of Vasilia; after all, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. **A new scheme unfolded in his clever mind, and he’d only require a small sample of foliage to complete it!**   **

**He waylaid an unsuspecting Avi on the way to Muffett’s brothel, turning his soul blue and pinning him to the dusty path.** **“I’ve stayed away from your brother, just like you said!” Avi whimpered as a wisp of magic swirled around the tall skeleton’s left eye.**

**“I’m not here about my brother, Avi,” snapped YanYan, disgusted by the plant monster’s simpering weakness. “You owe me. I want some concentrated pheromones.”  
**

**Avi laughed, a sharp, panicked sound. “Oh is that all? Well, no problem, YanYan, buddy. I can just stop by Muffett’s to grab a vial for you and deliver it after w-”**

**Striking like a cobra, YanYan grabbed Avi’s throat in a crushing grip. Bound by the soul magic, the plant monster could only watch helplessly as the skeleton ripped a delicate bloom from his shoulder, sneering derisively at the thick sap-like ichor that wept from the wound. Satisfied, he released Avi’s soul, but the other monster only sat up and rubbed his neck, afraid of another attack.**

**As he strode away, YanYan glanced back over his shoulder, speaking in a voice low and full of venom. “Don’t ever confuse me for one of your _buddies_.” YanYan spat the last word like a curse.**

**The tall, elegant skeleton had timed his plan carefully. His lazy brother worked (and YanYan used that term _very_  loosely) today; the painfully unattractive female monster did not. While Brassyberry dozed at some sentry station or other, honing his duty shirking skills, his industrious brother YanYan ambushed Vasi in the safety of their home. She didn’t suspect a thing.**

* * *

YanYan had been away all morning. He never told me where he went or how long he would be gone, but I treasured those sweet moments when I could relax and shrug off the persistent sense of danger his presence invoked. I actually ventured out of my room to make myself a sandwich instead of waiting for Sans to get home and make dinner. Creating my own small meal filled me a sense of power and independence, the best condiments you can put on a sandwich. It tasted like courage and pickles.

Hearing the front door knob rattling, I made a hasty retreat back to my room. I left the door open in an attempt to avoid rousing YanYan’s wrath; he hated it when a door was closed against him. I listened, tracking his movements by sound. A light tread indicated a light mood, and I breathed a soft sigh of relief, cut short by the subtle and, in a house alone with a dangerous and powerful monster, threatening creak of someone trying to quietly ascend the stairs.

“Vasi,” I heard YanYan call softly in a singsong voice. His shadow fell across my doorway, blocking me in as effectively as iron bars, and I gulped. His tone sent an electric jolt up my spine. He stepped into the room in one smooth motion, immediately occupying the entire space with his presence as I cringed as far into the corner as I could manage. His attempt at a friendly tone didn’t fool me. 

My failure to answer had obviously irritated him. He glared at me in disgust, hiding something behind his back. I could only assume he held an implement of torture, yet oddly enough, I didn’t react. In fact, my thoughts were clouded and sluggish, my emotions numb and distant. 

YanYan revealed the item he had hidden- a flower giving off the most enticing scent. My mouth watered, and I leaned in, wanting nothing more than to let the scent and beauty of the bloom consume me.I didn’t realize YanYan stood so close to me, or had I come to him? Either way, he pressed the bell-shaped blossom to my face, and I inhaled.

That’s the last thing I remember from that day.

* * *

_Brassberry felt incredibly refreshed after a long, hard day of sleeping on the job. The crunch of reluctant bones settling back into place echoed the crunch of heavy boots on the ever-present snow of Snowdin. The grating of the occasional piece of gravel underfoot provided the counterpoint for the melody of motion as the stocky skeleton arrived home._

_Preoccupied with thoughts of dinner, he didn’t notice the silence at first. When he finally did notice, he assumed YanYan was out and Vasi, in her room. He started up the stairs to see if she wanted to head over to Grillby’s for dinner when a tantalizing smell stopped him in his tracks. He breathed deeply, drinking in the intoxicating aroma. The scent made his mouth water. The siren scent drew him further upstairs, leading him by the nasal cavity, inexorably, straight to his bedroom._

_He usually left his bedroom door closed, but it stood ajar this evening, letting that irresistible smell drift into the hall. He didn’t see his younger brother lurking in the shadows further down the hall; he had eyes only for the door and the mystery it hid from his sight. He pushed the door open slowly, the hinges protesting softly as the scene before him revealed itself, or rather, herself._

_Vasi laid naked on his bed… no, laid wasn’t the word for her position. Her face and one hand were pressed to his pillow, but her ass stuck up in the air where she knelt. Her other hand… her other hand… Fuck._

_Her hand spread swollen pussy lips, displaying them to him as he stood in the doorway. He could see her juices flowing down her hand and wrist as she dipped her fingers inside of herself erratically, desperately. He moved without thinking, quickly stepping forward, palm stroking the bulge in his pants that pushed against the prison of fabric holding it._

_Unaware that he had even moved, Brassy found himself standing alongside her on the bed. She panted, making soft, barely audible mewling sounds. He leaned in to better hear her breathy, arousing noises, only to hear his name, a husky whisper, a prayer, a plea._

_“Saaaans.” Her tongue lolled as she tried in vain to pleasure herself with her fingers. Watching her, he unconsciously began to unfasten his pants. She may not be his type, but that plump pink pussy begged to be filled properly. His cock ached and throbbed in anticipation of the slick warmth, her tightness clenching him….  
_

_“Please Sans,” she cried when she finally registered his nearness. Her eyes lifted to his face, and he could see her heavily dilated pupils and deeply flushed cheeks and hear the slight slur to her speech. A heat… she was experiencing a heat cycle.  
_

_He backed away from her quickly, as if she had tried to cut him with a knife. The pheromones that overwhelmed her senses tried to overcome his as well, but he couldn’t. She relied on him. He should be protecting her, not taking advantage of her in a moment of biologically-driven weakness. She couldn’t think straight under these conditions, and he swore he would never be like his father. He turned to leave the room only to find that YanYan blocked him._

_When had YanYan come in? Embarrassed but determined, Brassberry covered himself and tried to push past his brother to leave the room. If he could just reach the bathroom and take care of his own needs he’d be in a better frame of mind to deal with Vasi’s problem._

_“SOMETHING WRONG, BRASSY?” YanYan purred. “I LAID OUT A VERITABLE BANQUET FOR YOU TONIGHT, AND YOU WON’T EVEN TOUCH IT.”  
_

_“pap-” he started to respond, then corrected himself, using his brother’s chosen name, “yanyan… i can’t. i’m supposed to be taking care of her, protecting her. i’m not like our father; i couldn’t hurt someone i’m responsible for.” Brassy realized his mistake almost immediately. He never should have brought up their father in front of his younger brother.  
_

* * *

**At the mention of their father, YanYan felt his carefully held control slip. He could feel the crawling sensation of a multitude of eyes opening inside his mouth and throat. Vasilia, their father, every fucking monster in the Underground showered Brassy with their attention and affection, and for what? What made his lazy, weak, broken brother so wonderful in their eyes, so wonderful that they gave Brassy the spotlight and ignored _him_? he did everything right, and everyone  _FUCKING. LOVED. BRASSBERRY._**

**As if that wasn’t insult and injury on its own, even his own brother couldn’t just be satisfied to love him and him alone. No. He had to bring that _abomination_  here. No more. One way or another, after tonight, it would just be Brassy and YanYan. Just them. Just the skeleton brothers of Snowdin, and Brassy would fawn over him like he had when they were babybones.**

**“YOU POOR PATHETIC IDIOT.” YanYan barked out a laugh, devoid of all humor. “SHE’S GOT YOU TOTALLY FOOLED.” His brother scowled at him, but he continued, a wicked smile spreading like demon wings across his face. “THAT LITTLE WHORE FOUND HERSELF A MISGUIDED CHUMP TO FREELOAD OFF OF, AND YOU CAN’T EVEN SEE IT. YOU THINK SHE CARES ABOUT YOU, _DEAR BROTHER_?” YanYan followed the sarcastic term of endearment with a sneer.   
**

**“SHE’D FUCK ANYONE, DO ANYTHING FOR A ROOF OVER HER HEAD, REGULAR MEALS, AND A BODYGUARD, AND YOU’RE GIVING IT UP FOR NOTHING.” Brassy opened his mouth to protest, but YanYan refused to let him speak. He held control of the conversation with an iron grip. “YOU THINK SHE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT YOU AT ALL? SHE. WOULD. FUCK. ANYONE.”  
**

**To prove his point, he pushed past Brassy, walking up to Vasilia who still squirmed in sexual frustration. Swallowing down his distaste, he slid two long elegant digits into her slick pussy, punctuated by a lewd squelch and a cry of pleasure from the girl. She repositioned herself to receive his ministrations without even thinking, arching her back to present him with better access.**

**YanYan chuckled darkly. “HER BODY IS HONEST, EVEN IF HER MOUTH ISN’T.” Brassy glared daggers at his brother, but Yanyan knew that his brother would never make a move to impede him, however he felt about YanYan’s activities. “OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IF HER MOUTH IS HONEST TOO?”**

**Sweat dappled the shorter skeleton’s brow as he frowned at his brother’s antics. “yanyan,” Brassy chastised, but his reaction only spurred his jealous brother on.**

* * *

_His half of a soul twisted in his ribcage as YanYan stepped to the head of his bed. Vasi’s golden eyes widened in fear as her brain fought the powerful force of lust and need within her and lost. When YanYan pressed their mouths together, she pressed against him with a hungry moan, letting him violate her lips with his tongue without resisting._

_After kissing her, after his point had been proven, his brother still felt it necessary to flip her onto her back and pin her with her wrists held above her head. She arched her back, trying to rub herself on him, but her eyes never left Brassy. Her eyes begged him, not for sex, but salvation. He fidgeted and finally looked away._

_He flinched at the sound of a sharp slap. “KEEP YOUR EYES ON ME, BITCH,” he heard YanYan command in an icy hiss._

_He could hear Vasi whimpering. Muffled sounds of struggle were followed by a plaintive, feminine wail of “No!” which dissolved into a scream of fear and pain._

_“you made your point!” yelled Brassberry. He couldn’t even bring himself to look; he knew he’d failed her, knew his brother had done something unspeakable to her already.  
_

_Another slap cracked in the pause after his words, and Vasi’s screaming faded to broken sobbing._

_“DID I?” YanYan’s voice was silk and steel. “I WARNED YOU ABOUT HER BRASSY. YOU DIDN’T LISTEN. I WARNED HER TOO. SHE HAD HER CHANCE TO LEAVE. NOW SHE’S GOING TO PAY BACK OUR HOSPITALITY.”  
_

* * *

**YanYan enjoyed watching Vasi trying to fight off the mating instinct that the flower’s perfume had awakened. She hated him. She didn’t want this, but her body betrayed her. Tears soaked into Brassy’s pillow as he bit savagely into her shoulder. He didn’t even care about marking her; he just wanted her to bleed and suffer. The only thing satisfying about violating her body was the knowledge that neither she nor her precious guard dog would stop him.**

**She laid there helpless while Brassy wrung his hands, and YanYan held all of the power. His brother could never possess something that YanYan couldn’t take from him, and this pitiful female would be no exception to that rule. All three of them knew it. When the door closed on Brassy’s hasty exit, YanYan laughed. He’d only just begun.**

* * *

_The door didn’t do anything to block out the sounds of Vasi’s distress. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He loved his brother. They’d been through a hellish childhood together, and Brassy could never deny YanYan what he wanted. Unfortunately, years of twisted abuse had messed with his younger brother’s mind. YanYan had craved the disgusting sexual abuse his older brother had suffered, anything to get their father’s attention. He couldn’t help being this way, and it fell on Brassberry to clean up the messes he made because of it._

_He descended the stairs, trying to flee the sounds of Vasi’s begging and his brother’s violence. At the best of times Yanyan demonstrated brutal sexual violence, and Brassy had cleaned up an alarming amount of blood and dust from his brother’s ill-fated trysts. Would Vasi even survive? He couldn’t stay here to find out. He had to escape, so he headed to Grillby’s into the comforting embrace of hard liquor and white noise._

_Even the alcohol couldn’t deafen him to the memory of Vasi screaming for his help, help he had been unable- unwilling- to give. He couldn’t even get blackout drunk like he wanted to; eventually he’d have to return and clean up YanYan’s mess. This time, however, that mess belonged to him too. He’d fucked up, failing YanYan during their childhood and failing Vasi now._

_He stumbled home despite being completely sober. His legs wobbled with fear of what he might find. He raised his eyes to the starry facade of the cave ceiling._ please let her be alive _, he prayed fervently to the false heavens._

_His hand shook as he opened the front door; the scene oozed normalcy. YanYan lounged carelessly on the couch, watching an MTT special he’d probably already seen a thousand times. He turned towards Brassberry when he heard the older skeleton enter the house, wearing a smile like a cat who’d eaten the canary._

_His canary._

_“is she…?” he couldn’t even bring himself to finish the question.  
_

_“A GOOD LAY? HARDLY. ALMOST LIKE IT WAS HER FIRST TIME OR SOMETHING. I GUESS THAT WOULD EXPLAIN SOME OF THE BLOOD.” YnaYan laughed cruelly. Frustrated with his brother, Brassy stormed up the stairs to survey the damage. Hopefully he’d be cleaning up with warm water and bandages and not a broom and dustpan.  
_

_Entering his room led to a tense moment were he couldn’t see her breathing. During those agonizing seconds, his eyes raked her battered and broken form. She must be alive; she hadn’t dusted! The damage she’d sustained and survived left him reeling though._

_The delicious aroma of her heat had been replaced by the mingled scents of sex, blood, and vomit. YanYan had been violent with her, and blood and cum streaked her pale thighs. Her stomach bore deep crimson stripes, likely knife cuts, and YanYan had gone beyond marking , biting her deeply and leaving her flesh mangled and frayed on her breasts and shoulders.Her arms were twisted in a painfully unnatural position and bound above her head, leaving her wrists raw and swollen. Her neck bore dark bruising as if YanYan had choked her before blacking both of her eyes. Her cheek had a cut on it, and she’d vomited blood and cum all over his pillow and onto the floor._

_With a trembling hand and tears in his sockets, Brassy reached out and gently shook Vasi, careful to touch a small patch of unbroken skin. She flopped limply, not making a sound. He laid his hand, trembling even harder now, onto her ravaged chest. It moved, just barely, but it moved. He didn’t know if the pain and injuries had driven her into a coma-like state or if she had simply fallen into the deep and dreamless unconsciousness that followed a powerful heat. Either way, he considered it a reprieve. Getting her patched up would be unpleasant, but at least this way, she might sleep through it._

_A feeling of deja-vu struck as he carried her once more, naked and bleeding and clutched tightly to his chest, to the bathroom. As before, he laid her body in the bathtub and left to retrieve medical supplies. He wasn’t even sure if some of the wounds could be closed cleanly. He’d do his best for her, tough; he owed her that. Turning on the warm water, he set to work._

* * *

I woke up feeling strangely sore. My head hurt, and my body ached. I worried I might be getting sick. My throat hurt, and my movements were sluggish. Ugh. Did I have the flu? Hobbling like an old woman, I inspected my closet and opted for the outfit that looked like it would provide the most comfort for the least effort. One of Sans’ oversized hoodies and a pair of dark, soft leggings sufficed. Still shaky on my legs, I wobbled my way downstairs for breakfast.

YanYan and Sans sat at the table, talking quietly. I heard the clatter of spoons against bowls, so I guessed that breakfast would be cereal this morning. As soon as I entered the room, Sans’ head whipped around, and he knocked his chair over backwards as he surged towards me.

“vasi! you’re finally awake!” He extended his hand as if he wanted to touch my face, but then he stopped, looking over his shoulder guiltily at YanYan.

“F-finally awake?” I stammered, confused. My eyes found the cereal box and refused to move. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was! “Isn’t it breakfast time?” YanYan snorted rudely. I felt the burn of tears welling in my eyes. I had no idea what was going on. 

“you’ve been asleep for eight days,” Sans explained gently. Shock stole my voice. I just stood there, opening and closing my mouth, trying to process his words.

“What happened?” I finally squeaked, causing YanYan to cackle again. An awkward silence descended on the kitchen. I glanced back and forth between Sans and YanYan, who exchanged knowing looks. I recognized a silent conversation when I saw one, so I waited until someone saw fit to clue me in.

* * *

_Her golden eyes shimmered with tears; one of them finally broke free and slid slowly down her cheek. He could feel his younger brother’s amber gaze burning into the back of his skull._

_“you don’t remember?” he asked her hesitantly. More tears followed the first, but Vasi didn’t seem to notice them as they trailed down her pale cheeks and dripped onto the hoodie she wore. His hoodie, several sizes too big for her small frame.  
_

_“All I remember is YanYan-” Brassberry tensed, then relaxed as she continued speaking, seeming to dredge the memories up from longer ago than a mere week, “-bringing me a flower. Last night?” She ended on a questioning note.  
_

_YanYan prowled the kitchen like a large predatory beast, the air he displaced the only clue to his movements for his distracted brother. Brassberry worried that if he didn’t diffuse the situation quickly, Yanyan might attack her again right now. Now or later, there was not a doubt in his mind that YanYan would assault her again, probably worse than before if that was even possible. His mind whirled, digging for solutions. To stall, he quickly spun a lie to explain Vasi’s long sleep._

_“you were sick, really sick. i called muffett to excuse you from work, but you really just needed to sleep it off.” The trust in her eyes as she accepted his answer without question sickened him. He’d covered up his brother’s despicable actions against her, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to stop any future attacks from the same source.  
_

_YanYan glided forward, circling Vasi like a shark, always keeping himself just on the fringes of her vision. Dammit, his brother made it obvious that he was hunting her. She leaned closer to him, the subconscious gesture of a vulnerable monster seeking shelter and protection. She’d never find that living here. She had to leave._

_“i think…” he paused, bracing himself with a deep breath. “i think it’s time you found a place of your own.”  
_

* * *

Sans’ words, seemingly from nowhere, left me stunned. A rising tide of tears overflowed my eyes, and I started to cry in earnest. Mortified, I tried to control myself, but the more I tried to stem the hot, embarrassing flood of tears, the harder I cried. I finally, finally managed a word, only for it to come out as a strangled whine.

“Why?” Stars, I couldn’t stop crying. Hiccups prevented me from saying anything else at the moment.

Sans’ hands clenched and unclenched. He ground his teeth. I could see him searching for words. Between hiccups, I asked: “Did I do something wrong?” I must have done something, but maybe I could fix it.

He still didn’t answer me. Inhale, pause. Inhale, pause. “look, i kept all the gold you’ve been giving me from your job. i know a place, owned by a nice old harpy lady. you can have your own apartment.” The words were meant to comfort, to console.

“Why can’t I stay with you?” I whispered, tunnel vision making everything except his pale skull and eyelights fade into black around me. Self-doubt rose in my throat like bile. This had to be a joke, a mistake, a horrible dream!

“you can’t stay here anymore.” His words echoed with finality as he avoided my eyes. “come on, i’ll help you get your things together. we can have you settled into your new place by lunch.” It sounded so reasonable. Too reasonable. Too reasonable for me to process.

Hysteria clawed at me. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real. If I just said the right words, everything would go back to normal. “Sans please,” I begged. I grabbed his hand, but he pulled away, refusing to even look at my pitiful display. “Please don’t do this. Please Sans.” My voice rose with every sentence, until I begged in a shrill barely intelligible voice. “I’m sorry. Whatever I did. I’m sorry. I’ll do better. Please Sans. I’ll do anything. Whatever you want.  _Please_!”

* * *

_He expected to feel the remainder of his soul shatter at any moment. Her wailing pleas were a distorted reflection of her words from eight days ago. He couldn’t watch her fall apart like this, couldn’t watch her blame herself for his failures. He had to make her_ want _to leave. She’d be angry at him, but she’d leave. She’d be safe. She’d be ok. Everything would work out._

_The only alternative would be if she stayed. He couldn’t allow it. He had to make sure she wouldn’t come back, that she’d stay far away from his and Yanyan’s fucked up lives._

_“i don’t want you here anymore.” The words tore at him as he spoke them. “you’re a burden. you’re clingy. i just can’t stand having you around anymore. i don’t have time to waste on someone like you.” His self-loathing increased with every word as he watched the impact of what he’d said break her entirely.  
_

* * *

Time stopped. 

The air left my lungs.

The blood froze in my veins.

I couldn’t feel my body.

I could see and hear, but nothing made sense.

Nothing made sense.

Only one thing existed.

The excruciating pain that ate away at my soul.

* * *

_She stood in the kitchen, face blank, eyes unfocused. YanYan tossed a duffel bag full of her belongings to the floor at her feet. No reaction, even when he sneered, “HERE’S YOUR SHIT.”_

_Brassberry called her name, waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked once. He picked up the duffel bag, hoping YanYan had packed all of the outfits he’d carefully chosen for her as well as the gifts he’d given her, but he knew in his heart that YanYan would pick the items with the least significance. Maybe it was better that way. He’d keep the rest of the items for himself. Maybe fill up a new box of keepsakes from “People Who Have Come and Gone.”_

_“come on vasi.” Sans touched her arm, and she moved forward silently and obediently. He had to put out his arm to stop her from walking straight into the door. Keeping a hand on her arm, he guided her through the streets of Snowdin until they reached a complex with several small, self-contained apartments. He knocked on the management office door and when a raspy voice croaked for him to enter, he did so.  
_

_Screel the harpy exchanged a key with an address card attached to it for a large pouch of gold, enough to pay for a year in one of the furnished apartments. Sans put the rest of Vasi’s money in her duffel. She still hadn’t spoken. She still stared blankly straight ahead. Screel stared with open curiosity; like many denizens of the Underground, she used gossip as a secondary form of currency._

_He opened the door to the apartment, pleased by the size and decor. This would be perfect for Vasi. He guided her to the center of the living area and set her duffel bag down next to a glass-topped coffee table._

_“are you… alright? with this place, i mean…” He let his words trail off, giving her a chance to show any sort of reaction at all.  
_

_She blinked. A second blink followed the first. The cloudy unfocused look fell away as reality captured her in its vise-like grip once more. She shook violently, eyes filling with hopelessness and resignation. Without warning, she grabbed the hem of the hoodie and lifted it over her head. Once removed, she pressed it into his hands. He tried to shove it away, tried to help her cover herself with it since she hadn’t thought to wear anything under it._

_“vasi, no,” he insisted. “i want you to keep it.” He needed her to keep it. If she didn’t keep something he’d given her, she’d forget him, forget what he’d meant to her. He’d wanted this. He’d aimed for a clean break, but the rejection cut him to the core._

* * *

“I can’t,” I told him simply. I couldn’t keep a part of him with me. I didn’t deserve it. I couldn’t stand it. His scent in every thread, the way wearing it felt like his arms around me. Things I couldn’t have. Things I didn’t deserve. Not anymore. I forced it into his hands.

I stepped into the nearest dark room- it turned out to be a bedroom- and closed the door behind me, a barrier against my name on his breath. The darkness suited me just fine, a quagmire of nothingness around me to match the nothingness inside of me. I collapsed, the most pathetic creature in the Underground. Wrapping my arms around myself, I hunched over, gasping for air.

Clingy.

A burden.

I did nothing right.

Created from nothing.

Created for nothing.

Why did I let myself fall for promises of a bright future?

I am nothing.

Nothing.

N

O

T

H

I

N

G

The darkness within and without swallowed me.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, depression, suicide attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

Time is a strange and mysterious concept. Hours can pass in the blink of an eye, yet a second can take up an eternity. I had no idea how long I sat, legs pulled to my chest, head resting on my knees, huddled with my back against that door. I didn’t hear him leave, but the stark desolation of being abandoned stole time and reality away from my clouded mind. I’d been on my own for so long before.. before… I couldn’t even think his name.

When he found me, everything had changed. I had a purpose. Someone thought my life held value, thought I was worth the time and effort of saving, thought the world would be a darker place without me in it. All lies. That lifetime fell away, turning to dust and painful memories. Could I remake a life for myself? Should I?

I didn’t know.

* * *

_He had to stop thinking about her. He couldn’t. The way she’d looked at him as she’d closed the door in his face haunted his dreams. He secretly stuffed the hoodie she’d been wearing into his pillowcase, but her scent faded from it as the days passed. He wanted it back, wanted her back. When he came home from his sentry station naps, the silence and loneliness hanging like a pall in the house struck him like a physical blow. Unlike YanYan, he couldn’t just pretend she’d never existed._

_He’d taken to working almost exclusively in Hotland, though sometimes he wondered if she went to Muffett’s by way of Waterfall just to avoid seeing him. He still hadn’t seen her. Worry gnawed him. What if something happened to her, and he wasn’t there to protect her?_

* * *

I got up eventually, wobbling on unsteady legs to the kitchen. He… someone… had left groceries. I scanned the selection. Nothing appealed to me. Why eat? I poured myself a glass of water to sip in the dim glow of the morning light slanting through a tiny kitchen window with ruffled curtains. I could go through the motions, I told myself. Maybe if I just kept going, things would change. Maybe I could find a reason to hold on, something to hold on to.

I opened the duffel bag, fishing around for a shirt. I slipped into the first one I closed my hand around. I didn’t care what it looked like. My hand brushed a satchel of money, and I drew away as if it had burned me. The way… the way… someone… had burned me once. I zipped the duffel bag closed without removing the money. 

The trek to Waterfall took forever. I’d never been so weak and exhausted. Slipping from shadow to shadow, I finally arrived at the Dump. After quickly scanning for hostile monsters and finding none, I tossed the duffel bag and its contents into the thundering cascade. It disappeared under the turbulent waters, carrying the rest of my previous life with it. It took hours of digging, but I managed to find some clothes that would fit me.

I almost didn’t make it back. My legs kept giving out, and at one point I found myself crawling through the snow as I dipped in and out of consciousness. The clearing seemed familiar. How fitting it would be to die here. Too bad it hadn’t happened then. Too bad it didn’t happen now. I thought about it though. I closed my eyes and willed my breathing to slow. Giving up should be easy, easier than trying anyway.

I got back up. I have no idea why, but I did.

When I got home, I dragged some blankets into the small closet, curled up in them, and went to sleep.

* * *

_He reassured himself that he only walked past her apartment because it was on his way home. He wouldn’t have gone out of his way, not for someone he was trying to forget. That would be stupid. He reached into his pocket and touched the second key to her apartment. He’d only kept it in case of emergencies. He couldn’t imagine what kind of emergency would require a key to her door, but he didn’t return it._

_The windows were dark and foreboding just like every other night he’d walked this road.  Looking guiltily over his shoulder as if YanYan could somehow pierce the thickness of the forest trees and see him checking up on her, he crept to the small building and rested his hand against the door. He dragged his fingers down the smooth wood, wishing it was her hair. He’d never touch her again, never hold her while she slept fitfully, only relaxing when she felt his protective embrace. Never hear her laugh or feel the comforting weight of her body during a late night movie._

_He let this happen. It was his fault. He deserved this suffering._

* * *

I woke up prepared to return to work. I needed something to occupy those empty hours alone with my thoughts. I needed a way to drive away the image of a sharp-toothed smile, a soft teal blush, the smell of leather. I got dressed. I even managed a few bites of food before I realized I had no way to brush out the tangled mess of my hair.

I didn’t realize I’d fallen until my hands and knees hit the tile floor. I couldn’t breath, so I just gasped, dragging air into my lungs in harsh gulps as tears pattered on the linoleum. Animalistic sounds tore from my throat.  Everything hurt- my stomach, my head, and worst of all, my soul. Is this how it felt to dust? I hoped it would be quick as I clutched myself, sobbing painfully. Why couldn’t I just forget? Why couldn’t I escape the torment of… him…?

* * *

_His days off used to be his favorite time of the week. Now they just reminded him of what he’d lost. He paced. He sifted through his new box of mementos from a person who had come and gone. YanYan hadn’t packed any of the things he’d gotten for her into the duffel bag. He picked up the silver hairbrush she’d once fawned over, thanking him with joyful tears and a kiss on the cheek. He sighed like a whisper of the pain in his soul and put the other items back in the box. Maybe… maybe he should bring this to her._

_He remembered how she’d struggled without it before. Surely she’d be grateful just to have it for practicality’s sake. Not that it meant anything. Not like he just wanted to see her again. He hurried, nearly ran, towards the apartment complex._

_He arrived to find the door to her apartment standing open. He approached warily, unsure of what might be hidden in the deep shadows within. Nobody had a key to that door except himself, the harpy Screel, and… her. Standing on the threshold he saw that the lock had been forced open by a mess of vines._

_Avi._

_That son of a bitch!_

* * *

How long did I lay there? I fought wakefulness; I couldn’t cope. I didn’t want this anymore. I faded in and out. My thoughts were blessedly jumbled, and I didn’t try to sort them. As long as I didn’t move, didn’t focus, didn’t think, I could pretend I didn’t feel. My emotions were my tormentors, and only a deep unconsciousness could hide me from their torture.

Everything was cold, so cold, piercingly cold. Everything seemed so far away, moving in fits and starts. Nothing made sense. Something… someone… lifted me. Disconnected sounds and movements nibbled at the edges of my consciousness, but I refused to open my eyes. It couldn’t be him. I couldn’t deal with the disappointment of confirming it. I couldn’t deal with the heartache of seeing his face. I couldn’t deal with anything, so I sank further into my protective cocoon of darkness.

* * *

_He burst through the doorway with an angry snarl, colliding almost immediately with an unyielding body. The unseen creature pushed him aside and stepped into the light that reflected glaringly from the snow, throwing them into sharp relief. It was Avi, just as he suspected, and the plant monster held a limp body in his muscular arms. A spill of inky midnight hair dragged in the powdery snow. Panic warred with outrage as a million scenarios played out in his head. Each and every one involved him failing once again and losing her forever._

_“the fuck do you think yer doin’?” he snapped at Avi, reaching out to take her back from the plant monster. Avi gave him an amused look.  
_

_“Asset retrieval,” he said flatly, stepping away from the skeleton.  
_

_“no,” Brassy growled. “she’s mine.” His eyelights showed a bright gleam of red.  
_

_“Muffett has a soft spot for orphans and waifs. That’s why she put a tracker in the spider brooch. Almost like she knew little Vasi here had no one to take care of her.” He laughed cruelly.  
_

_“i was taking care of her,” Brassberry raged.  
_

_“Doesn’t really look like it to me,” sneered Avi, jostling the body he held. The skeleton backed away, stung by the harsh truth of Avi’s words. The plant monster called his vines back from the lock mechanism, and they closed the door as they returned. The sound held a finality to it.  
_

_Brassy retreated into the woods, not even looking where he went. The hairbrush fell from his shaking hands along with the hot tears from his sockets. Both vanished into the snowpoff foothills of the Snowdin forest._

* * *

**YanYan sprawled elegantly on the couch, flipping through a rare up-to-date fashion magazine he’d bought from Bratty and Catty. Flared sleeves making a comeback? Ugh. Not on his watch.**

**The half of his brother’s soul that he kept hidden in his chest next to his own throbbed. It had been doing that almost non-fucking-stop since he’d gotten rid of the girl. How could his stupid brother be so attached to something with so little _value_? Sentimental idiot.**

**In fact, that sentimental idiot was supposed to be home now. The chores weren’t going to do themselves. The throbbing suddenly became a sharp stabbing sensation. The proximity of Brassberry’s soul to his own allowed him to keep tabs on his brother’s emotions, and right now, Brassy was suffering… badly.**

**He couldn’t even enjoy his magazine in peace!**

* * *

_He hadn’t been to the Laboratory in so long. He stared down into the Core, watching the molten magic twist and writhe as it powered the entire Underground. The colors shifted and faded and changed; it was a beautiful sight to behold. He wasn’t here to sight-see though. He didn’t care about the power and beauty of the reactors. There weren’t even rails in this sections, precisely why he had chosen to come here._

_She didn’t want him. She didn’t need him. Nobody did. He couldn’t protect his brother, couldn’t keep him happy. He’d failed her, stood by while his brother violated and hurt her, even hurt her himself when he pushed her away. He fucked everything up, and there was only way to fix things. Only one way to make the lives of those around him better._

_Staring blankly downwards, he jumped._

* * *

**“Damn it, Brassy,”  grumbled YanYan, pulling Brassy’s glowing soul from beneath his shirt. This was so fucking inconvenient.  
**

##  **_[RESET]_ **


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

**YanYan couldn’t believe his brother was behaving so stupidly _again_! And over some ridiculously unattractive female no less! It stung much more than he would ever admit to know that Brassy would leave his own brother behind on purpose. Brassy knew YanYan needed him, and he’d gone and tried to kill himself anyway! How selfish! How unthoughtful! How typically  _Brassberry_  of him!**

**YanYan could still remember when this had all started- the curse, the resets, Brassberry’s crippling depression. It had torn him up inside to see his brother suffer, to have to take away everything from everyone else because he didn’t want to be alone. He kept Brassy alive, and Brassy wasted his many chances. What else could YanYan do? Not a damn thing. He needed his brother, and not just for help with the chores. He couldn’t imagine a life without him.**

**He didn’t even care anymore. Resetting the timeline to keep his brother around had become second nature, an instinctive, unconscious action. YanYan wouldn’t allow Brassy to abandon him, even if it meant ripping out half of his soul. Even if it meant destroying everything else.**

**YanYan always got what he wanted.**

* * *

_Brassy awoke with a raging headache and absolutely no memory of coming home after the run-in with Avi. Had he gotten blackout drunk? He sat up in bed with a groan. YanYan would be pissed if he found out just how hungover he was. He was pissed at how hungover he was. His entire body ached, his head throbbed, and his never-healing wound burned._

_“SO YOU’RE FINALLY AWAKE,” a voice sneered from the shadowy corner of his room, crushing Brassy’s plans to hide the extreme binge-drinking with a few splashes of cold water from the bathroom. YanYan emerged from the shadows to stand regally in the muted light from the window. He’d obviously planned the move to maximize the effect on his elegant features.  
_

_“yanyan, what-” Brassy meant to ask what YanYan was doing lurking in his room, waiting to make a grand entrance, but his brother had the spotlight. No way would YanYan let anything disrupt his speech, not even a very relevant question.  
_

_“THERE WAS AN INCIDENT, BRASSBERRY,” YanYan explained cryptically. “I’LL BE INCREASING YOUR DOSE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS. TAKE THESE.” He waved a hand dismissively at two large white pills and a glass of water on Brassy’s nightstand. “I’LL NEED TO MONITOR THE EFFECTS, SO YOU ARE TO COME DIRECTLY HOME FROM SENTRY DUTY. UNDERSTAND?”  
_

_Brassy tossed the pills into his mouth and chugged the entire glass of water before nodding. He wondered absently what the incident could’ve been. Would YanYan consider getting shit-faced and passing out an incident? Probably. Did YanYan expect him to work today? Definitely. Did he still intend to stop by Muffett;s and check on Vasi? Obviously._

_YanYan didn’t have to know everything._

* * *

My sense of smell returned first, and the sweet scents of flowers and incense filled my nostrils. I also detected the distinct aroma of baked goods. I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was, but my mouth watered and my stomach rumbled as I imagined what the source of the delicious scent could be. 

“So you’re finally awake,” chimed a melodic voice. I finally convinced my eyes to open. Five bright, glittering black eyes watched me with interest and… affection? “You had me worried.” I blinked, disoriented. My face hovered a few inches above Muffett’s. I shifted, trying to move my arms, my legs, anything, until the realization dawned on me- I was suspended from the cave ceiling by a cocoon of spider webs!

I panicked, thrashing wildly, though the movements exhausted me. Going limp, I wondered how long it took for spiders to eat their victims. I’d known the risks when I took the job, but I’d only missed work. I hadn’t cheated Muffett. Did I really deserve to die like this? I began to giggle hysterically. I’d been so ready to die before, but when fate stared me down, I fought.

“Calm down, little one,” Muffett soothed, after watching my struggles with mild amusement. I calmed down. Muffett didn’t look or sound angry. “I merely placed you there for your own safety until you regained consciousness.” She pulled out a dagger with a wavy blade and cut the strands of spider silk, catching me in one of her pairs of arms as I tumbled free of the cocoon.

“Thank you,” I mumbled sincerely. There’s nothing quite like staring death in the face to make you appreciate living. She set me on my feet, but my legs wobbled unsteadily.

“You won’t be doing deliveries until you’ve fully recovered your health. You’ll be working at the brothel-” she held up a delicate hand to forestall my shocked protests “- as a waitress. Now go to my office. I ordered some food for you, and I’m sure it’s getting cold while we chatter.” Bowing in gratitude, I scurried towards Muffett’s office, hopping and skipping to avoid the living carpet of spiders moving through the cave.

They raised spindly legs to me in greeting, and I waved back, too busy drooling over thoughts of lunch to form words like “hello.”

* * *

_The quickest way to find out what had happened to Vasi was to visit the gossip mill- Muffett’s brothel. The security spent all of their time observing, and they didn’t miss much, including the comings and goings of the various employees. He slipped through the door, pressed for time but determined to get some answers. He found his answers the second his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting._

_There she was, bent over a table of howling catcalling Royal Guard dogs, chatting and laughing with them as she took notes on a slip of paper. She turned, caught sight of him, and froze. One of the dog monsters, a black and white mongrel puffing on a cigar, seized the opportunity to smack her ass loudly with one of his grubby paws. Brassy had only taken one threatening step in the dog monster’s direction when a heavily webbed hand descended on his shoulder._

_“Hold up there, Brassberry. That one’s not on the menu.” Brassy’s red-tinged eyes tracked Vasi as she strode from the table to the bar. The fish monster’s voice, though it coincidentally belonged to the very bouncer he’d come here to speak to, became background noise as his focus sharpened to take in her words. If one of the dog monsters tried to take her to a back room, they were dust.  
_

_“Two Long Island Ice Teas, two Fire Whiskeys, and a room key. Table five.” Vasi slid gold across the table, and the bartender filled her order. Brassy tried to step forward to block her way, but the fanged fish held him in an iron grip.  
_

_“She’s a waitress, Brassy; she’s not for sale. She’s one of Muffett’s favorites,” explained the bouncer. Brassy frowned. Her outfit was a bit revealing for_ just _a waitress, the short shorts and tank top showing the curves and lines like an appetizer for horny customers.  
_

_“i thought she did deliveries,” he growled under his breath.  
_

_“Nah. I guess she got sick or something and nearly died. Muffett wants to keep her nearby in case she relapses. I guess she came from a bad living situation,” the fish monster gossiped freely, exactly as Brassy had anticipated, but Vasi’s bad living situation? Vasi had been living with him. Had she been unhappy the whole time? Unhealthy? Had he missed something so obvious?  
_

_Vasi returned to the bar to drop off another order, and he approached her, reaching out tentatively to touch her arm._

_“vasi.” Brassy breathed her name like a sigh of relief when she didn’t immediately recoil from him, but she wouldn’t look at him, keeping her gaze averted and her demeanor as cold as a Snowdin night.  
_

* * *

Don’t move. Don’t react.

* * *

_She didn’t move or react. He stalled, fishing desperately for something, anything to say. An apology? A plea for her to come back to a house that would never be safe for her? He settled on “How have you been?” Stupid! She’d been nearly dead when Muffett rescued her!_

* * *

I took a breath.

Don’t think. Don’t cry.

“I’m happy.”

* * *

_“I’m happy,” she replied simply, turning and walking away. Her hair twirled in her wake, giving him a feather-light slap on the face to accentuate the jarring megaton punch to his soul. She never looked back._

* * *

I never looked back. I didn’t see him leave the brothel, but I could feel his presence withdrawing from my broken heart. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad that it was gone.

Don’t react.

Don’t cry.

Just breathe.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, violence, blood, possessiveness/extreme jealousy, aphrodisiac use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_“keep your fucking filthy paws off of vasilia,” Brassy growled, ambushing the Royal Guard at his sentry station the next day. The black and white mutt just laughed in the stocky skeleton’s face. He stood at least four or five inches taller than Brassy, and he wasn’t about to let a smaller monster push him around._

_“Izzat yer girl, Brass? I’ll remember that when I’m knottin’ in ‘er later,” the dog monster sneered.  
_

_Brassberry struck like vengeful lightning, smashing his fist repeatedly into the Royal Guard’s face. Blood sprayed, decorating his face with glistening crimson war paint that matched the deep red of his eyes. The dog monster fell to his knees, trying to scramble away from his assailant on all fours, but Brassy wouldn’t allow him to escape so easily._

_“don’t. fucking. touch. her!” he roared, punctuating each word with a savage kick to the prone monster before him.  
_

_“I won’t. I won’t! I’m sorry!” howled the black, white, and now red-spattered Guard, coughing up a bright glob of wine-colored blood onto the pure white snow.  
_

* * *

Sans didn’t come back to the brothel. I tried not to look for him. I tried not to miss him. Every day it got a little easier. 

Even the usually rowdy and handsy dog monsters from the Snowdin Royal Guard had improved their behavior. The black and white dog, who appeared to have been in a fight, stopped grabbing and slapping my ass. His foul-mouthed friends politely averted their eyes and placed their drink orders in respectful, subdued voices. One of Muffett’s bouncers must have said something.

Speaking of Muffett, her persistent care had paid off. I’d recovered well, but delivering drink orders at the brothel began to become claustrophobic for me. I wanted to be out and about again. I wanted to go back to doing deliveries. With my health restored, it only made sense for me to get back to my regular work. I spoke to Muffett about it, and she wholeheartedly agreed.

I started out small, making deliveries to nearby customers in Hotland. Muffett did a booming business selling aphrodisiacs to club-goers at the MTT resort. I heard the employees there also added low doses of the drugs to their food and drinks to loosen up inhibitions and keep the cash flowing.

I never saw Sans at either of his Hotland sentry stations. I don’t know what I expected or why I cared. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he’d been there. I had to stop thinking about it, but that’s always easier said than done.

After a few more weeks, I’d expanded my deliveries to include part of the Capitol again. I ranged far and wide, delivering Muffett’s various potions and pills, illicit and otherwise, to her grateful customers. Many of her patrons preferred to avoid her spider-filled lair if they could. 

The one place I had not returned to, however, was Snowdin. We didn’t do much business in Waterfall. That area was the Temmies’ domain and the little fluffballs were extremely territorial when it came to the competition. I knew I would have to resume deliveries to Snowdin eventually, but I kept putting it off. 

One morning, I saw him- Sans, snoring away at the Hotland sentry station right outside of the cave Muffett’s business called home. I thought I could just creep past without waking him, but Sans has a sensitive nasal cavity, and he detected me without any conscious effort on his part. He sat up, opening his sockets.

“vasi.”

Just one word, but it stopped me in my tracks.

* * *

_He hated it when his workplace naps were interrupted by dreams, especially when the dreams were abstract messes of thoughts and feelings. He trudged through barren woodlands in a dream devoid of color and sound. No matter how far he walked, the surroundings didn’t change. After awhile, inky blackness flowed up from the ground to consume the trees. Darkness swallowed everything. He began to hear whispers, voices speaking words that were just slightly too soft for him to make out._

_How long had he been in that choking, whisper-filled darkness when a familiar scent tickled his olfactory senses? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that smell. He wanted more. The scent permeated the dream, taking over everything until it finally jolted him awake…._

_… and there she was._

_“vasi.”  
_

_She froze, staring at him with wide, round golden eyes._

* * *

My chest constricted. I couldn’t breathe for a moment, but that moment passed. I swallowed, steadying myself.

“Hello, Sans,” I greeted him evenly, then kept on walking.

* * *

_She spoke a casual hello and kept walking. He couldn’t decide whether to follow her or not, and his indecision made him miss his chance. She was gone. Again._

* * *

I started delivering Muffett’s wares to Snowdin again the next day. I always went to Snowdin first, knowing that I could get all of the packages dropped off and payments collected while Sans was still at work- or rather, asleep- elsewhere. It’s not that I couldn’t stand the thought of seeing him. It simply made me more comfortable to avoid him than to pretend I was fine. I could cope if I ran into him. I could even say hello and be friendly, but it was just so much easier not to.

That morning, one of Muffett’s assistants handed me a large package with instructions to deliver it straight to Grillby. Grillby was a major client- all of the aphrodisiacs he offered to the patrons of his bar came from Muffett. He always paid on time and in full, and he showed a great deal of respect to the Spider Maven, making for an ideal and very lucrative alliance. The package was so big that it didn’t even fit in my satchel, so I tucked it against my hip and set out. 

I really wished I hadn’t worn a long flowing skirt today. I’d been expecting a big batch of Hotland deliveries, and the stinging chill of Snowdin made my legs ache with cold. Pushing through the front door of Grillby’s bar and restaurant, I huffed a sigh of relief. As a fire elemental, Grillby made his establishment a bastion of decadent heat in a snow-covered wasteland.

I didn’t look around. I didn’t think it would be necessary to check for Sans, not at this hour anyway. With his sentry job, he’d never be drinking this early in the afternoon, right?

Wrong.

He sat at the counter, walled in by empty beer mugs and whiskey tumblers.Had he been here drinking all day? How was he still conscious? I stepped forward to place the large box of merchandise on the counter. Sans turned to me and blinked.

“vasi?” He breathed my name in a gust of alcohol vapors. Nice.

Grillby swept some of the empty glasses off of the counter and placed a freshly filled one with clinking ice cubes in front of Sans. He picked up the delivery and tucked that behind the bar as well. I held out the clipboard with the invoice for him to sign. He always paid Muffett directly for such expensive orders, and I appreciated the fact that I wouldn’t be walking back to Hotland with a large pouch of gold.

Grillby’s hand moved so subtly that I almost missed what he did next. After setting down the pen, he moved his arm, and his hand passed over Sans’ drink, which the skeleton hadn’t touched yet because he seemed to be waiting for me to say something to him. A fine green powder trickled from Grillby’s hand into the liquor, dissolving immediately. I’d recognize that powder anywhere. It was an extremely potent aphrodisiac that left the consumer with no willpower, no inhibitions, and no memory of what they’d done in the absence of those two things.

Everyone in the Underground knew that Grillby and Sans hooked up frequently. I knew better than most, having overheard a number of noisy sessions in the adjacent room. It didn’t bother me whether they had sex or not, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing or even leave knowing that Grillby had drugged Sans’ drink. I couldn’t just knock the glass onto the floor either. Sans would order another drink, Grillby would use more of the powder, and I’d probably get thrown out and banned for life or worse.

I only had one option. I hoped that if I got inebriated enough to be utterly helpless, Sans would feel obliged to take me back home to my apartment, where I’d returned shortly after being rescued by Muffett. I inhaled and prepared myself.

“Thanks for the drink,” I mumbled in the worst attempt at flirting ever. I picked up the short whiskey glass and tipped it upwards, bottom to the ceiling, downing the entire drink in one gulp. My throat burned with regret. I had no tolerance for strong alcohol  _or_  powerful drugs, and the effects were almost instantaneous. 

The last thing I remember is the glass slipping from my slackened grasp to shatter on the floor and Sans shouting my name, catching me as I collapsed.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, sexual content, dubcon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_He caught her as she tumbled off the barstool. Her body was so light… hadn’t she been eating right. He didn’t know. He didn’t know anything about her life anymore except that she was here, right now, collapsed in his arms. He hadn’t seen her in so long. As he lifted her, he took the opportunity to press his nasal cavity to her hair, inhaling her delicate familiar scent. He missed her._

_With instructions for Grillby to put the drinks on his tab, Brassy scooped her up to take her home. Her pale skin felt cold to the touch-not a problem for a skeleton, but Brassberry remembered how she’d shivered during cold Snowdin nights. Why had she come into town wearing a skirt… a skirt he hadn’t bought for her. Where were her warm clothes? Where were his clothes that she loved to snuggle into? Silly girl couldn’t take care of herself without him, obviously._

_She was half-asleep, moving just enough that he couldn’t carry her in his usual honeymoon-style. The shoulder spikes on his jacket ruled out throwing her over his shoulder, so Brassy settled on lifting her into his arms with their torsos pressed together and pulling his jacket around them both. She slid her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and rested her head groggily against his shoulder. He could feel her warm breath against the naked bones of his neck._

_He walked resolutely towards her apartment, wondering how on earth anyone could be such a lightweight when it came to drinking. He’d been at Grillby’s drinking for hours just to get as buzzed as he was now. He heard a muffled giggle right before he felt a warm, damp pressure on his neck bones. His eye sockets widened. She was licking him! She giggled again and nuzzled him, and he felt his face flush. He hadn’t been this close to Vasilia since she’d moved out on her own. Since he’d forced her to move out. Since YanYan…._

_Brassberry still had the second key to her apartment, so he didn’t have to try to dig through her pockets to find hers. He let them both in. As he shifted her weight against him, she made a sleepy grumble. He’d just tuck her into bed and leave, he told himself. He lowered her onto her bed and began to disentangle himself from her. He pushed her legs off of his hips, trying to ignore the fact that he was standing over her in a very suggestive way.  
_

_Suddenly, she pulled herself back up to him and pressed her lips against his mouth. Instinctively, he formed a tongue and slid it into her mouth. Guilt stung him. She was barely conscious, and he wasn’t exactly sober himself. He shouldn’t… She slid one of her hands up his shirt and stroked his sternum with a feather-light touch. He groaned. Shit. It felt so good. Shit! He pushed her back onto her bed, his tongue reaching deeper into her mouth, stroking her tongue and coaxing muffled little moans from her._

_What the fuck was he even doing? He wasn’t even attracted to her. He wasn’t, was he? Panting, he broke the kiss and looked at her, really looked at her for the first time in a long time. Her full lips, that soft pink flush over her pale skin, her heavily lidded eyes like gleaming slits of gold, the cascade of midnight blue hair- when had she gotten so beautiful? Her caressing fingers trailed along his ribs, and her other hand stroked his cervical vertebrae. He felt his magic forming in his pelvis, and he knew he should stop it._

_He should._

_He couldn’t._

_He was straddling her, pinning her down. She was wearing a skirt. It would be so easy. He slid his hand up her thigh. So easy to slide her panties off. She continued to stroke his sensitive bones, smiling up at him, ready, willing. He had to stop. He couldn’t do this. If he did, he couldn’t ever go back. He couldn’t ever undo… Shit. She wanted it though. Shit, shit, shit. His cock was aching for release. His hand found her panties, and he slid his fingers under the waistband to remove them. His other hand fumbled with his belt buckle._

_She wanted it. He knew she wanted it. He shouldn’t but…_

_“Sans,” she murmured at him, voice thick from fighting off sleep. He slid her panties off of her hip, shoved his pants down, released his eager cock. “I love you.”  
_

_He froze. Fuck._

_He jumped away from her, horrified at himself, horrified at what he had been about to do. He yanked his pants back up and fled her apartment. What was wrong with him?_

_He hated himself._


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, suggestive themes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_Muffett’s phone rang- not her business phone but her personal phone, a number she shared with precious few other monsters. The Spider Queen checked the displayand recognized the number as Grillby. Interesting, considering that Vasi should have already made her delivery by now. Before she answered, she checked the thread of magic attached to Vasi’s spider brooch._

_The young woman’s soul beat steadily, radiating happiness and calm. No sign of danger, failure, or fear. What in the Underground could Grillby want then?_

_“Speak.” Muffett didn’t bother with formalities. Grillby didn’t make social calls during business hours.  
_

_“Your delivery girl cheated me!” Grillby shouted, loudly enough that Muffett had to move her phone away from her face. The fire elemental was so incensed that she could hear his flames crackling.  
_

_“Vasi?” Muffett asked innocently even though she only had one delivery girl. That one delivery girl was honest to a fault, however, and Muffett had her doubts when it came to any accusation against Vasi._

_“Of course that fucking whore, Vasi, who else would I be-”  
_

_“Mind your words, Grillby.” Muffett’s sugary sweet, chiming voice became venom-laced. “Either tell me what happened or go back to your pathetic life and stop bothering me with your insipid complaints.”  
_

_“I slipped an aphrodisiac into Brassberry’s drink while she made her delivery,” Grillby spat, still furious._ Ah _, thought Muffett,_ this again _. “And she drank it! And he left with her! One of your most potent mixes, completely wasted!”  
_

_“I’ll provide extra in the next shipment at no extra cost, and I’ll assign someone else to deliver it,” Muffett offered calmly, scribbling a note about it in her ledger. The Spider Queen didn’t trust the fire elemental’s temper when it came to her ward.  
_

_“I don’t care about that! She stole Brassberry from me!”  
_

_Muffett sighed. “You must let go of the past, darling.”_

_“We were married!”  
_

_“And now you’re not. You know Brassberry doesn’t remember the resets. You must be content with what you have.”_

_“How am I supposed to do that with that slut hanging all over him?” bellowed Grillby._

_“My offer stands. Take it or leave it. Our business is concluded,” Muffett replied icily. Silence on the other end of the line would have made her wonder if Grillby had ended the call, except she could hear the_ roar _and_ whoosh _of rapid combustion. Eventually, the bartender spoke, just a single word before he hung up.  
_

_“Fine.”  
_

_Arguably, Grillby struggled more than any other monster over what he’d lost during their timeline’s resets. He’d suffered through erased relationship after erased relationship, including the aforementioned marriage. Each time, Brassy’s mind had been blank when it came to their storied romance. Still, Muffett was a creature of logic, not emotion. As much affection as she held for her spiders and her adopted delivery girl, Muffett had never experienced the burning passion of love… a condition for which, after speaking with Grillby, she was grateful.  
_

* * *

I woke up with an intense, pounding hangover and an unshakable feeling of confusion. It took me several minutes of blankly staring at the ceiling and blinking in the early morning light to remember the previous day’s events. I’d gotten completely wasted on just one drink with just one aphrodisiac in it. It reminded me once again that despite being only a few inches shorter than Sans, he dwarfed me easily. And honestly? I liked the thought of being so much smaller than him.

Speaking (or rather thinking) of Sans, where was he? Had he stayed? I listened for any sound beyond the pulsing  _thump thump thump_  in my temples. Nothing. He must have dropped me off at home and left. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed in a courageous and misguided attempt to stand up, but I noticed something odd. Though none of my clothing had been removed, my panties were askew, partially pulled down off my hips.

Had… something… happened?

I’d consumed an aphrodisiac. I cared about Sans. I had a definite attraction to him. Had I done something without the safeguards of my inhibitions? I contemplated checking myself for signs of sexual contact. I don’t know how long I sat because moving my head in an attempt to check the clock resulted in stabs of pain to my brain. In the end, I decided that it didn’t matter.

Sans had most likely resisted the temptation. I knew he wasn’t attracted to me, even if I’d been temporarily easy. I didn’t ache, not in that region anyway. Surely there would’ve been some physical sign? My panties weren’t even off. I might’ve dislodged them in my sleep.

Even if something had happened, even if Sans had taken advantage of my intoxication, I forgave him. I’d made my own decisions, knowing what might happen. 

It didn’t matter though.

He hadn’t done anything.

I was sure of it.

I trusted him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, drug (mis)use, suggestive themes, prostitution, dubcon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information on the Yanderetale characters.

I wondered sometimes how Sans and I had ended up in this awkward and uncomfortable place in our friendship. Things had started out well, and, aside from that one terrifying night when he hadn’t been himself, nothing had really changed until I’d gotten sick. My memories during that timeframe were hopelessly muddled, but Sans rejected me hard and even kicked me out. I’d been miserable, but I’d come to accept it.

Now things had changed again. Could it be possible, based on his reactions to seeing me at the brothel and near his sentry station, that the burly skeleton monster actually missed my company? Maybe he still cared about me after all, even if it wasn’t the same way I cared about him.

I started stopping by his various sentry stations to say hello while out on deliveries. At first he’d been standoffish, and I worried that I’d done something embarrassing after leaving Grillby’s when I’d stolen his drink. He warmed back up to me though. In fact, he even asked if I had the same schedule at Muffett’s so that he could escort me home after work, an offer I gratefully accepted. Our friendship was a rocky road full of ups and downs, but it was still a road, so I kept on moving forward no matter what I might find at the journey’s end.

* * *

_She began to visit him while he napped at work. At first, he tried to ignore her. How could he even look at her after what he’d done, what he’d almost done…_ twice _? How could he accept her kind words and gentle smiles after what he’d allowed YanYan to do? She deserved better than caring about someone like him, but even his indifferent reactions didn’t stop her from waving, smiling, and calling out quiet hellos. If he dared to be honest with himself, he’d admit that his soul twinged painfully whenever he saw the hurt in her luminous golden eyes when he grunted and shrugged off her advances._

_She persevered, and he finally gave in. It was all too easy to slip back into their comfortable friendship and shove his mistakes to the back of his mind to be eventually forgotten. Meanwhile, Brassberry could enjoy the primary benefit of reconnecting with Vasi- protecting her._

_It wasn’t that Brassberry didn’t trust the Spider Queen; a monster under her protection was practically untouchable. He simply preferred to keep Vasilia under his own watchful sockets. His assertive presence also discouraged potential suitors from pursuing her. He never touched her, fearful that he might get carried away, that he might kiss her, that she might push him away, but he couldn’t imagine another monster caressing her soft, pale skin, kissing those sweet, pink lips, stroking that beautiful midnight hair._

_Every day she invited him into her apartment; each time he declined. Standing there, watching her step through the doorway, guilt washed through him. He couldn’t go in. He couldn’t look at her bed without remembering how he’d almost lost control. She’d never allow him near her if she knew, so he kept his secret from her._

_Brassberry also kept the time he spent with Vasi a secret from his brother. YanYan didn’t notice the improved moods or the discrepancy in time between Brassy’s work schedule and the time he got home. As long as the chores were done and he held Brassy’s undivided attention whenever he demanded it, YanYan couldn’t care less what his older brother did. If Yanyan found out he’d been seeing her behind his back though… Brassy couldn’t shake his worry about possible repercussions._

* * *

Sans always dropped me off at my apartment. He never walked me into town. He never even asked if I wanted to go farther than my own doorstep. I never pressed Sans about it. I assumed he had his reasons. I felt like it should bother me, but every time I approached the skeleton brothers’ house during my deliveries, a sense of unease filled my soul. I had the strangest sensation that something bad had happened to me there, something I couldn’t remember, maybe something I didn’t want to remember.

* * *

**YanYan seethed as he paced the living room floor. First Jerry ruined his day at the MTT club, and now that lazy idiot Brassberry dared to be late home from work to hear him complain about it! The moment the front door opened, an outraged YanYan pounced.**

**“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?”**

* * *

_“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?”_

_Shit. YanYan had finally acknowledged how late he’d been coming home. After a blinding flash of panic, Brassy blurted out an improvised excuse. “I took the scenic route? It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing. Flowers were-”_

_Brassberry never finished his explanation. It turned out that YanYan had in fact, not noticed Brassberry’s perpetual tardiness; the tall, sleek skeleton only needed an outlet for his ire and hated that he’d had to wait._

_YanYan shooed Brassberry into the kitchen to start dinner while he sat at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and expounding upon the insufferable events of the day in a sarcastic sneer._

_“-AND FUCKING JERRY SHOWS UP IN THE MOST RIDICULOUS OUTFIT, AND I’M DROPPING HINT AFTER HINT TO LET HIM KNOW JUST HOW FLAGRANTLY UNWELCOME HE IS, BUT HE JUST. WON’T. LEAVE.”_

_Brassberry nodded along without really listening. Vasilia had worn her hair in a ponytail today, showing off the elegant curve of her neck._

_“-DRINKING EVERYONE ELSE’S DRINKS LIKE HE’S NEVER HEARD OF THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL SPACE BEFORE, AND WHEN THE SERVER COMES BACK WITH THE BILL, SUDDENLY HE HAS SOMEWHERE TO BE RIGHT FUCKING NOW AND STICKS US WITH IT!”_

_She’d healed well after her ordeal with YanYan. He couldn’t see a single mark on her, just pale, unbroken skin with a light pink flush from the Snowdin cold. He’d considered leaning in and warming that delicate flesh with his breathe, inhaling her scent, but he didn’t trust himself._

_“BRASSBERRY? BRASSBERRY ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?”_

_“sounds good, bro,” said Brassberry absently, a dead giveaway that he had_ not  _been listening_ at all _._

_Fuming, YanYan squeezed his mug until it shattered. Nobody ignored YanYan, especially not Brassberry!_

* * *

**After eating dinner with his distracted brother in icy and overlooked silence, YanYan stomped up the stairs to his room to plot his revenge. As he stalked past Brassy’s room, the partially open door caught his eye. Peering inside the dimly lit interior, YanYan caught sight of Brassberry’s depression medication laying out on the nightstand. A plan formed in his mind, and he scooped up two of the pills, hurrying to his room to implement his scheme.**

**YanYan carefully popped open both pill capsules, pouring the powdered medicine onto a piece of paper on his own nightstand. Folding the paper, he used it to funnel the medication from both pills into one capsule, which he promptly resealed. ****Perfect. He turned around and went back down the stairs to find Brassy laying flat on his stomach on the couch, one arm dangling with his fingertips touching the floor, while the sounds of explosions blared from the television.**

**Brassy had worse taste in movies than he did in clothing, and that was saying a lot. Yanyan approached him like a viper slithering through the grass. “YOUR MOOD SEEMS TO HAVE IMPROVED LATELY, SO I ADJUSTED YOUR MEDICATION.”**

* * *

  _Brassberry locked his eyelights on the images flashing across the television screen as sweat began to bead on his forehead. What if YanYan asked if anything had changed? He didn’t have a ready answer. He scrambled to think, but YanYan wasn’t interested in explanations._

_“HERE,” YanYan snapped, dropping a pill into Brassberry’s hand. He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Brassy to swallow it. Brassy gulped the pill down dry while YanYan glared. Satisfied by his brother’s obedience, YanYan shoved Brassy’s legs off the couch, snatching the remote from him and flipping the station to a dance music channel. Brassberry didn’t bother protesting._

_Yanyan waited for the drugs to kick in, watching Brassberry out of the corner of his socket. Half an hour passed. Brassy’s eyelights began to look glazed, and the stocky skeleton started bobbing his head to the beat of the music just a second too slow with a dopey smile on his rugged face. At the next commercial break, YanYan went into the kitchen and grabbed a raw steak out of the refrigerator. Returning to his seat on the couch, Yanyan used blue magic to levitate the steak, wiggling it in Brassy’s line of sight._

_Brassberry watched the floating steak with wide-eyed wonder. It. Looked. Delicious! But how would he reach it? He batted experimentally at the steak with one hand. It danced away from him! He crawled across the couch in pursuit of the morsel, bracing himself on the armrest with one hand and flailing with the other at the piece of meat just beyond his grasp. So close!_

* * *

  **Yanyan pulled out his phone, using one stockinged foot to shove down the waistband of his distracted brother’s sweatpants, exposing the upper curve of Brassberry’s famously attractive ass. YanYan didn’t see the appeal, but he couldn’t ignore popular opinion. Snapping a quick photo, he texted it to Grillby.**

**YanYan: BRASSY IS SO HIGH RIGHT NOW. INTERESTED?**

**Grillby was no fool. He knew Yanyan wouldn’t offer something for nothing.**

**Grillby: How much?**

**YanYan: 50 EMERALDS. GOOD ONES.**

**Grillby: You’re so fucking greedy.**

**Grillby: I’ll be there in 5.**

**Grillby must have lit the bar on fire to scare away the customers because he arrived 3 minutes later with a leather pouch of his favorite gems. Grillby loved emeralds. Their color reminded him of what he’d once had, what he was about to pay to have again. He tossed the pouch to YanYan who hefted it experimentally before nodding. The steak dropped into Brassy’s eager hands, and he immediately began to chew it.**

* * *

  _"Brassberry,” Grillby called softly. Brassy turned, catching sight of his friend and sometimes lover. With his attention now on the fire elemental, the steak dangled, forgotten, from his mouth._

_“grillby!” exclaimed Brassberry excitedly. The steak dropped to the floor. “what are you doing here? are we having a party?”_

_“Sure,” purred Grillby, moving towards Brassy slowly, fiery tongue licking fiery lips. Satisfied with his payment and very disinterested in the sexual escapades about to unfold, YanYan retreated to his room._

_“is it my birthday?” Brassy tilted his head quizzically._

_Grillby chuckled. “Yeah. Happy birthday Brassy. I got you a present.”_

_“a blowjob?” asked Brassy hopefully, stroking a growing erection through his pants._

_“Maybe, but we’re going to take turns, so you’re going to give me one first.” Grillby unfastened his slacks, palming his blazing cock._

_Brassy nodded agreeably. “ok.” He lowered his mouth to the crackling flames of Grillby’s shaft and got to work._

* * *

  **YanYan stashed his new emeralds in the lockbox he kept under his bed. He’d punished Brassberry _and_  made back the money he’d lost at the club. All in all, thanks to his shameless manipulation, the day had ended in YanYan’s favor just as it always did.**

**Just as he made sure it always did.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Click here](https://vex-bittys.tumblr.com/post/155217912791/those-unreachable-stars-yanderetale-index-and) for more information about the Yanderetale characters.

_Other monsters rarely dropped in on Brassberry and YanYan’s evening activities, and when they did, they never dropped in literally. As YanYan and Brassberry lounged on the sofa, watching an old human action movie with little actual interest, an unexpected guest did just that, crashing through the roof of the house and the living room ceiling to land on the already occupied couch._

_Brassberry scrambled away from the wreckage, and YanYan snarled irritably as he viciously kicked wood and plaster away from him to find the source of the disturbance. There, curled up in the rubble of their ruined house, laid a very large skeleton, easily a foot taller than YanYan and much broader than Brassberry. The giant skeleton monster whimpered in pain or fright and slowly uncurled his massive frame to peer up at the other two skeletons with wide, blank eyes- one blue and one orange._

_“Wh-what happened?” the huge skeleton stammered, obviously confused and unsure of the situation. He seemed to be completely unaware that he’d just fallen into a private residence from above.  
_

* * *

**What a moron! This big idiot had the utter gall to crash through _their_  ceiling and then ask  _them_  what happened? YanYan’s golden-orange eyelight flared with aggressive magic.**

**“WHAT HAPPENED?** **_WHAT HAPPENED?!_ ” YanYan snarled, outraged and a split-second away from pinning the still prone skeleton to the wall like a rare insect in an entomologist’s display case. “YOU DESTROYED OUR FUCKING CEILING IS WHAT HAPPENED. WHO THE FUCK IS GOING TO PAY FOR THAT?!” The stranger cringed under the onslaught of YanYan’s fury, covering his face and head.**

**“I’ll fix it,” wailed the trembling giant. His open supplication cooled YanYan’s temper.  
**

**“YOU’D BETTER,” hissed YanYan, going to the closet next to the front door to grab a jacket. He tossed Brassberry his usual leather monstrosity as well. “COME ON, BRASSY. WE’LL HAVE TO STAY AT THE INN TONIGHT.”  
**

* * *

_Brassberry pulled on his leather jacket, watching out of the corner of his socket as the huge skeleton stood up slowly and brushed dust and splinters off of his rumpled clothing. There was something about the new guy that he liked but couldn’t name, something unfamiliar and refreshing. As Brassy turned to follow his brother out the front door, the stranger called out to him._

_“Wait,” the big skeleton said meekly despite his imposing size. He towered over Brassy easily, but he acted almost fearful. Brassberry wasn’t surprised after the way YanYan had torn into him over the roof incident. “Can I go with you?”  
_

_“HURRY UP, BRASSBERRY!” YanYan’s querulous vice drifted in through the open doorway._

_“don’t you have your own home to go to?” asked Brassberry, concerned by YanYan’s tone. He didn’t trust YanYan not to storm back into the house to berate both of them for wasting his precious time.  
_

_“I don’t remember,” sniffled the tall skeleton.  
_

_“you don’t remember where you live?”  
_

_“I don’t remember anything!” Orange and blue tears welled in their corresponding eye sockets, spilling over to run down the big monster’s round cheeks.  
_

_Brassberry couldn’t bring himself to ignore the other skeleton’s request, though he felt pretty sure that YanYan would disapprove of his next words. He sighed._

_“come on then. you can stay with us until we figure things out.”_

* * *

**When YanYan saw the large skeleton following Brassberry outside like an excited puppy, he scowled. Of course he’d heard their exchange; you’d have to be deaf not to hear those noisy idiots bellowing from inside the house. The last thing YanYan wanted was another stupid charity case following his brother around the house and making doe eyes at him.**

**He wanted the roof fixed though, and he wasn’t about to wait around for Brassberry to do it. As soon as the simpering giant fixed their house, though, he’d be on his own whether Brassy liked it or not.**

**The three skeletons walked down the street to the Snowdin Inn in awkward silence. YanYan tapped his foot impatiently as Brassy paid for their rooms, but before they separated for the night, he pulled his brother and the stranger aside to have a little talk.**

**“I DON’T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR WHERE YOU CAME FROM-” YanYan began, but the large skeleton interrupted him.  
**

**“I don’t remember!” His eyelights glistened with fresh tears as he approached full-blown panic.  
**

**“I. DON’T. CARE,” replied YanYan calmly, “BUT IF YOU INTERRUPT ME AGAIN, I’LL BREAK ONE OF YOUR FINGERS.” YanYan’s threat cowed the stranger efficiently, allowing YanYan to continue with only a sputtering protest from Brassberry. YanYan quelled him with an icy glare.  
**

**“YOU BEGIN WORK ON OUR ROOF FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. NO BREAKS. NO EXCEPTIONS, UNTIL IT IS COMPLETELY REPAIRED.” The stranger nodded obediently. Good. At least _this_  interloper knew his place.  
**

**“do you remember _anything_?” asked Brassberry, and YanYan groaned in exasperation. Hadn’t he just said he didn’t care? Why did no one listen to him? Still, his piqued curiosity wouldn’t allow him to pass up on the information, regardless of his previous statements.**

* * *

_A faraway look darkened the stranger’s mismatched eyelights. He appeared to be lost in thought for a few long moments, reliving half-forgotten memories in an attempt to establish some sort of timeline. His shoulders slumped in defeat._

_“I was… two monsters…? Skeletons. An orange and a blue soul… Sans? And Papyrus!” The stranger’s halting words gained a bit of confidence the more he spoke. YanYan scoffed, but the other skeleton didn’t acknowledge the derisive noise.  
_

_“Then I was one monster. One skeleton. Me. Everything got dark and scary. Things were disappearing, breaking, falling… The whole universe… everything… It collapsed into nothingness… Then I met you!” The haunted look that had taken over the stranger’s expression as he told his story melted away into joyful innocence as he beamed proudly at Brassberry and YanYan.  
_

_“SO YOU FUSED WITH ANOTHER MONSTER AND DESTROYED YOUR ENTIRE UNIVERSE?” Yanyan asked skeptically.  
_

_“hey, yanyan, do you think we could-” YanYan cut Brassy off.  
_

_“ABSOLUTELY NOT! WEREN’T YOU LISTENING TO THAT RIDICULOUS STORY? EVEN IF TWO MONSTERS COULD FUSE, YOU WOULD RISK DESTROYING EVERYTHING.”  
_

* * *

**YanYan’s soul beat painfully in his ribcage. He didn’t like where this conversation was headed at all. Brassberry’s words made him painfully aware of the half of his brother’s soul he kept hidden away. His dark secret weighed on him, the secret of how his own universe had become twisted and cursed, the secret of his own unique power. He had to change the subject now; guilt didn’t suit him.**

**Brassberry apologized sheepishly, but YanYan waved away his words with an elegant hand.**

**“SO YOU WANT US TO BELIEVE YOU ARE SOME SORT OF FUSION OF TWO SKELETON MONSTERS NAMED SANS AND PAPYRUS? AND YOUR UNIVERSE SOMEHOW COLLAPSED, DROPPING YOU INTO OUR HOUSE?” The stranger nodded, smiling. “THAT’S STUPID.” The smile faltered, and the other skeleton wilted.  
**

* * *

_“aww, lighten up, yanyan,” said Brassy, noticing how crestfallen the other skeleton was at his brother’s harsh words. He placed a comforting hand on the bigger skeleton’s shoulder. “you got a name, big guy?”_

_The stranger shook his head sadly. “I don’t remember.” YanYan rolled his eyelights. They couldn’t just call the new monster Sans or Papyrus. Those were his and his brother’s names. _YanYan never used his true first name, but sometimes Brassberry liked to be called Sans, especially by a certain blue-haired someone._ Maybe some combination…?_

_“maybe we could call you comic papyrus?” Brassy suggested. YanYan glared at him. He obviously disliked the idea of anyone using_ his _name, no matter how much he despised it.  
_

_“or how about just cap?” The stranger perked up a bit. The name sounded nice, and he began to repeat it over and over again.  
_

_“Cap. Cap, Cap, Cap. Cap!”  
_

_YanYan’s socket twitched in annoyance. “YOU CAN CALL HIM CAPTAIN FUCKING SKITTLES FOR ALL I CARE. AS LONG AS HIS RAINBOW MAGIC ASS FIXES OUR FUCKING HOUSE!” YanYan shouted, storming into his rented suite and slamming the door._

* * *

**Idiots.**

* * *

_But the moniker stuck._


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.   
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, typophobia/body horror (multiple eyes), gore, mention of infection, mention of insect infestation

_That night at the Snowdin Inn, Brassberry dreamed the most wonderful dream. He dreamed of a hot juicy cheeseburger, so big that he could barely bite it, and every time he did manage to take a bite, they brought him another burger even bigger and juicier than the previous one! Or was he shrinking each time he took a bite of one of the burgers? He didn’t really care. The dream was amazing!_

_The dream stopped being amazing when he heard a banging sound coming from everywhere and nowhere. Garbled screams filled the space inside his sleeping mind and slowly dragged him to wakefulness. His sockets opened to a continuation of the deafening pounding that rattled the doorframe to his room._

_And Cap was the one screaming._

_Brassberry jumped out of bed and ran to the door without bothering with a shirt or pants. He turned the handle so hard that he almost tore it off in his haste. Standing outside his room, one hand clutching desperately at his skull. Cap held the other hand raised to continue battering at the door. Without the noise dampening door, Brassberry could actually pick out words within Cap’s screams:_

_“It hurts” and “What’s happening” repeated over and over in a keening wail that had other guests at the Inn peeking through cracked doors then quickly slamming them again in fear that whatever affliction had taken hold of the huge skeleton monster in the hallway might come after them next.  
_

_Murmuring calming nonsensical words, Brassberry reached out and pulled Cap’s hand away from his face… and a new set of screams echoed throughout the establishment._

* * *

**Who the fuck dared to interrupt YanYan’s beauty sleep with their incessant caterwauling? Grimacing in irritation, YanYan cast aside his sleep mask and kicked off his blanket to stomp over to his doorway. The culprits would be lucky if they got away with just an earful of his derisive yelling.**

**YanYan planned to make an entrance by barging into the hallway, satin pajamas billowing and orange-gold magic gleaming in his left eye, but he never got the chance because the door to his room exploded inward, raining splinters on the incensed skeleton.**

**“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK,” screeched YanYan as Brassberry forced himself into the darkened room to cower behind his brother. Cap staggered into the room on Brassberry’s heels sobbing from the pain- or possible just the shock- of the greater than usual number of eyes winking open and shut across his skull. Oh. That explained a lot.  
**

**A lesser monster than YanYan might have succumbed to guilt or shame over his brother’s condition; YanYan had caused it after all. He’d been in charge of caring for his brother and the persistent wound on the side of his head. He had let it become infected, and, too repulsed by the infection to clean it properly, allowed the bore worm infestation that led to his brother’s current state of terror-ridden trypophobia.**

**Back then, YanYan still admired Brassberry. He’d cried every time he’d had to dust and RESET his weakling brother. He knew better now. RESETing Brassberry using the soul half he’d torn from him had become second nature, as mundane as blinking or breathing (for monsters with lungs). In fact, he now found the act mildly irritating for inconveniencing him. If only Brassberry had two IQ points to rub together to spark an idea of how to care for himself, YanYan’s workload could _easily_  be halved.**

**YanYan no longer cared that he’d had a hand in creating the injury itself either. Brassberry had been struck in the head prior to the curse that had fallen upon their universe. Nobody else but YanYan knew that the curse was caused by the consumption of other monsters’ souls by a certain deeply disturbed young skeleton named Papyrus. Nobody had to know that the proliferation of eyes that prevented Brassberry’s injury from closing were the consequences of his decisions, his compulsions.**

**Currently, Cap was experiencing the Yanderetale curse firsthand. YanYan had idly wondered if this skeleton from another universe could avoid the soul-rotting effects of their world that manifested so disgustingly as extra eyes. This answered his question with a resounding _NO_. Now to calm his idiot brother and shut up this idiot newcomer.**

**“YOU THERE, CAPTAIN SKITTLES,” YanYan spat as if the name left a foul taste in his mouth. The venom of YanYan’s words was wasted on the huge skeleton, who sniffled and gave a watery smile at what he interpreted as being addressed by a term of endearment. “EVERYONE HERE HAS EXTRA EYES. DEAL WITH IT.”  
**

**YanYan turned on Brassberry next, showing as little patience for his brother as he did for a complete stranger. “YOU’RE NOT A FUCKING BABYBONES ANYMORE BRASSBERRY. GROW THE FUCK UP.” He shoved Brassberry and Cap bodily out into the hallway, left eyelight ablaze with magic.**

**“NOW BOTH OF YOU GO THE FUCK BACK TO YOUR ROOMS AND GO BACK TO SLEEP BEFORE YOU GET US ALL KICKED OUT, AND I MAKE YOU SLEEP IN SNOW POFFS!” YanYan snapped imperiously, stomping his foot for emphasis.  
**

**The two of them stood sheepishly in the hallway until Brassberry happened to glance up and see Cap’s multiple extra eyes erupting across the smooth curves of his skull. The shorter skeleton flinched away with a yelp and retreated hastily to his room, slamming the door behind him. Cap looked bewildered by Brassberry’s reaction, but he shuffled obediently back to his own room as well.**

**“Excuse me,” piped up a subdued voice from the stairwell leading to the first floor. YanYan whirled on the speaker, sockets narrowed to take in the hunched form of the front desk worker. The nervous rabbit monster wrung her hands as she spoke to him. “I-is there a problem here, sir?”  
**

**YanYan’s glare made her wither and take a step back. “Does it look like there’s a problem?” he growled, the thinly veiled threat of his tone becoming an outright threat as bone attacks manifested in the air behind him.**

**“N-no, sir,” the rabbit monster stammered before dashing back down the stairs to return to the safety of her station.  
**

**“That’s what I thought,” sniffed YanYan into the silence of the empty corridor. He shut the door to his room quietly. Maybe now he could get some decent rest in this dingy inn’s overpriced and severely lacking quarters.  
**

**Honestly, the comforter wasn’t even goose down! He’d probably be more comfortable sleeping in a snow poff! YanYan settled the sleep mask back over his sockets with a grumble.**

**Would the karma from his past actions ever leave him in peace?**


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, sexual content, trypophobia/body horror (multiple eyes)

I stopped by Sans’ sentry station in Hotland after work, but I struggled and failed to wake the burly skeleton. Usually, he slept at his job out of boredom, and he woke quickly and easily as soon as I entered his sniffing range. Today he looked tired, which explained his deep slumber. I finally gave up on rousing him after he growled at me in his sleep. I scribbled a quick note to let him know I’d been there and headed home.

He probably needed the rest.

* * *

**YanYan signed for the building materials with a scowl. He’d ended up paying for the items himself since that idiot, Cap, had fallen into their universe with absolutely nothing of value. The skeleton in question stood in the living room, looking up at the hole in the ceiling with his mouth hanging open, wearing some of Brassberry’s clothes which were several sizes too small for his massive frame. Cap had cleared the rubble from the living room that morning, and now the real work could begin.**

**YanYan instructed Cap to move the building materials inside the house, but Cap regarded the wooden beams, joints, and shingles with open confusion. YanYan ground his teeth in irritation.**

**“STOP STARING AND START FIXING,” he snapped, spurring the other skeleton into action. Once Cap dragged the supplies inside, YanYan sent him down to the cluttered and disorganized basement to find tools for the job. YanYan was sure Brassberry kept his handyman shit down there somewhere. It couldn’t be that hard to find, even for someone whose brain cells had been fried when he fused bodies.**

**YanYan’s foot started tapping impatiently when Cap didn’t reappear. An hour passed, then two. How hard was it to find a fucking hammer? YanYan hated going into the basement; the mess offended his senses. He perched on the top step, peering into the dimly lit stairwell and yelled for Cap to come back upstairs.**

**The big skeleton bounded up the stairs like a big, dumb puppy. In one hand, he held a toolbox which hopefully contained actual useful items and not some old sandwich of Brassberry’s. In the other hand he clutched a sheaf of sticker sheets. Where the hell had Cap found stickers in their basement?**

**“PUT THAT SHIT DOWN AND GET TO WORK.” YanYan slapped the stickers out of Cap’s hand, scattering the papers onto the floor. Instead of arguing, Cap obediently set up the ladder and began to repair the damaged roof. YanYan smirked. At least the big skeleton knew who called the shots around here.**

**Cap finished most of the work in the space of a single day. He only paused once, stopping to take a break and fish some leftovers out of the refrigerator for lunch. He retrieved his sticker sheets before he disappeared into the kitchen, and YanYan was too busy leaving catty comments on Undernet social media websites to reprimand him.**

**YanYan lowered his phone, observing Cap as he resumed his work. YanYan frowned. Brightly colored stickers covered the back and sides of Cap’s skull, laid down haphazardly, overlapping each other with no rhyme or reason. Cap shifted his weight from foot to foot under YanYan’s scrutiny. An aura of expectancy hung in the air as Cap awaited YanYan’s verdict on his stylistic decisions.**

**“YOU LOOK FUCKING RIDICULOUS,” said YanYan, rolling his eyelights. Cap wilted under the harsh critique.**

**“Do you think Sans will stop being afraid of me?” Cap asked in a surprisingly meek tone. Though he hung his head and wrung his hands, a hopeful gleam shone in his mismatched eyelights.**

**Yanyan gave an exaggerated, long-suffering sigh though he’d only been suffering through this particular conversation for a few minutes at most. “DO I LOOK LIKE I CARE WHAT BRASSY THINKS OF YOU? NO, NO, DON’T ANSWER THAT. MAYBE YOU SHOULD WORRY LESS ABOUT BRASSY AND MORE ABOUT GETTING THOSE SHINGLES ON THE ROOF BEFORE IT GETS DARK, HMM?” YanYan shooed Cap towards the necessary items like a regal monarch ordering a servant, exactly in alignment with how he viewed every social dynamic he encountered.**

**And speaking of his weak, lazy brother, where was Brassy anyway? His sentry shift ended hours ago! Ugh, did YanYan have to do everything? The incompetence of his growing number of subordinates knew no bounds!**

**“HEY, CAPTAIN SKITTLES! GO DOWN TO GRILLBY’S AND BRING BRASSY HOME,” ordered YanYan. Cap perked up at the mention of Brassberry, but the change in directive confused him. He glanced at the shingles and hammer he held as if he was unsure what to do with them.**

**“I thought you wanted me to fix the roof,” he ventured. YanYan rubbed his temples. He could feel the last bit of patience draining from his body to be replaced with the slow-simmering anger that so often burned beneath his carefully constructed facade.**

**YanYan placed his hand over Cap’s hand that grasped the hammer. “WHEN I TELL YOU TO DO SOMETHING,” hissed YanYan, “YOU DO IT-” he twisted Cap’s wrist painfully, causing the big skeleton to drop the hammer. “-WITHOUT QUESTION. UNDERSTOOD?” Cap whimpered as the hammer fell from his enervated hand. He clutched his aching wrist the second YanYan let him go and nodded, unable to speak. Tears welled in his sockets from the pain.**

**“GO THEN!” snapped YanYan impatiently. Cap scurried down the street, eager to put distance between himself and the wrathful skeleton.**

* * *

_Brassyberry stared into his tumbler, not so much looking for answers at the bottom as hoping that inundating his brain with visions of ice cubes floating in a sea of amber liquid would drown the memories of all of those eyes opening and closing across the expanse of Cap’s skull. He couldn’t go home. He couldn’t go anywhere near Cap ever again. Not if he valued his sanity._

_“Sans,” a joyful voice called from somewhere in the bar. Only one person ever called him Sans, but this voice was male and much deeper than Vasilia’s. Brassy turned around and big round eyelights, one orange and one blue, filled his vision. Brassy almost toppled from his stool in surprise and horror. He scrambled to get away from the larger monster._

_“Sansy wait!” Cap grabbed Brassberry by the arms and held him in place, preventing his escape. Brassy’s eyelights darted around the room, looking everywhere except at Cap. His panicked mind flooded with images of eyes, eyes, eyes, and he struggled in Cap’s powerful grip. “Sansy, look. I fixed it.”_

_Brassy’s eyelights finally focused on Cap’s skull. Instead of eyes, instead of holes, instead of any kind of strange or out-of-place openings, he only saw stickers. Bright rainbows shared space with smiley faces, cupcakes, and colorful stars. His body relaxed, and Cap released him._

_“ya look good, Cap,” Brassy rumbled, and Cap beamed as if the stocky skeleton had awarded him the highest praise._

_“YanYan wanted me to come get you and bring you back home,” Cap explained. “You’re coming back right?” The mere mention of YanYan made Cap anxious. He hated pain. Pain was scary and bad. Not like Brassy. Cap liked Brassy. Brassy was so handsome, and cool!_

_Brassy patted Cap’s shoulder affectionately. Something about Cap’s wide innocent eyelights and unassuming nature reminded him of a certain midnight-haired someone. He missed having someone at home who called him Sans or Sansy. He missed Vasi, if he was being honest with himself, but that opportunity had passed him by already. Cap presented a new opportunity for the future.  “yeah, yeah, let’s get home then.”_

_Brassy laid awake in his bed long after his housemates had gone to sleep. YanYan had reclaimed his bedroom, slamming the door behind him after demanding that he not be disturbed until breakfast under threat of dire unnamed penalties. Cap had been offered the couch since he had nowhere else to go. Brassy had brought the big, sticker-clad skeleton some baggy shorts and an oversized t-shirt which just barely fit._

_“We’re twins,” sweet, innocent Cap had declared, pointing between himself and Brassy, who wore a pair of rumpled boxers and a grey shirt that had once been either white or black long, long ago before it faded or became stained. He’d just smiled, tossed one of his comforters over Cap, and gone upstairs to bed._

_Thoughts swirled in his mind though, denying him sleep. A pall of loneliness and depression shrouded him since he’d forced Vasi to leave. Rekindling their friendship and spending time with her didn’t ease his guilt or longing, but maybe something- or someone- else could. Cap possessed the same innocence that drew him to Vasi, and Cap openly admired him the way that YanYan used to do. With the stickers to hide his disfiguration, maybe there was a possibility…?_

_A hesitant knock on his bedroom door interrupted Brassy’s musings. Without awaiting a response from him, the door swung open, revealing a very sheepish Cap._

_“Sansy, I had a nightmare,” Cap whined, looking extremely vulnerable despite his size. “Can I sleep with you?” Cap’s big hands fretted with his borrowed blanket while he waited for Brassy’s permission._

_Brassberry sighed and lifted up his own blanket. He patted the bed next to him, inviting Cap to join him. With a happy “yay,” Cap literally jumped into bed with Brassy. Brassy couldn’t hide his smile at Cap’s enthusiasm. Cap took up the big spoon position, throwing one heavy arm over Brassberry. The huge skeleton fell asleep within minutes. Brassy laid awake for awhile longer, long enough for the situation to take an interesting turn._

_Cap’s other arm snaked underneath Brassy’s body, and the big skeleton captured him in a crushing hug. Cap rolled over, pinning Brassy between his ribcage and the bed and putting them in a perfect position for Brassy to both see and feel the massive glowing erection that Cap had cultivated in his sleep. Cap’s rainbow bulge was starting to peek out of his boxers, and as Brassy stared, Cap slowly began to grind against him._

_When he was in heat or feeling particularly aggressive, Brassy loved to be a rough dominant sex partner, but his best kept secret was his love of being dominated himself. He’d never admit to it, but the way Cap held him and rutted against him soon had his own cock straining against the fabric of his boxers._

_“i can’t believe i’m doing this,” he muttered, sliding the waistband of his underwear down and palming his cock. Panting lightly, he stroked himself from the base of his shaft to the tip. He started out with long, languorous movements, increasing his speed and tightening his grip as pleasure overtook him. His muted moans stirred Cap’s subconscious, causing him to buck his hips a little harder. It felt amazing._

_In the heat of the moment, a vision of midnight hair and golden eyes flashed through his mind and he let Vasi’s name escape his mouth in a breathy moan…_

* * *

**_A sticker drifted free of smooth bone, and a baleful eye opened, flashing in multiple shades of magic._ **

* * *

_… but Cap’s encompassing presence drew him back into the moment and he called out Cap’s name when he came._

* * *

**_The eye closed, to be covered once more by a sticker the next morning._ **

* * *

Sans was distracted when he walked me home, I could tell. His eyelights were distant, and he responded to my attempts at conversation with nods and noncommittal sounds. The rudeness wasn’t cruel or deliberate, but it stung. We walked straight from Hotland to my apartment without taking the winding scenic route as we usually did, and he dropped me off at my doorstep with a hasty goodbye.

Things had changed between us… again.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story encompasses the entire Yanderetale canon with focus on a non-canon OC. I did not create Yanderetale.  
> Please be mindful of the content warnings.  
> This chapter contains: language, sexual content, blood and violence, abuse

The first time Sans missed walking me home from work, I worried. I stood outside of Muffett’s until the anxiety of waiting forced me to move. I checked Sans’ sentry stations one by one only to find them empty. I even braved a stroll past Grillby’s to peek in the front window looking for him. Nothing.

I didn’t sleep that night as scenario after scenario, each one worse than the last, played through my mind. My stomach churned when I left for work the next morning. I set off much earlier than necessary so that I could take a winding route to Muffett’s and visit Sans’ sentry stations again.

There he was, slumped over the sill of his Hotland post, sleeping peacefully.

Suddenly my panic felt ridiculously stupid. Sans didn’t owe me anything. I didn’t own him. I couldn’t blame him for making space for himself in his own life without me. I was a burden to him. Walking me home each day took up his time. It inconvenienced him, and he was moving on from that. Maybe someday I could too.

I wiped tears from my eyes, telling myself that it would be alright. No matter how often I repeated those words, they refused to stick. Someday I could break free from my complicated ties with Sans, but not today… not tomorrow… not for a very long time.

* * *

_Brassberry skipped work the next day to spend some time getting the spare room set up for Cap. He didn’t notice time slipping by until it was far too late to pick Vasi up from her job and walk her home. A twinge of guilt pricked at him, but the monumental task of wiping away Vasi’s presence from the spare bedroom overshadowed it._

_Vasi didn’t live here anymore, nor would she ever again. Cap needed his own space, so why did it feel so wrong to paint over the walls and replace the overly feminine furniture? The expression on Cap’s face when Brassy revealed the updated bedroom to him erased any doubts from his mind, and when the huge skeleton swept Brassy up into a bone-crushing hug, the smaller skeleton monster experienced the kind of satisfaction he hadn’t known in a very long time._

_Life with Cap settled into an easy and familiar routine- the same routine Brassberry had shared with Vasilia. Brassy and Cap watched movies and TV shows under blankets on the couch in matching kigurumis, and Cap openly marveled at Brassy’s video game expertise and skill. Brassy enjoyed being admired again, though there were distinct differences between his relationship with Cap and his relationship with Vasi._

_They fucked._

_Frequently._

_Though Cap possessed the same clinginess and innocence that awakened Brassy’s possessive nature, Cap was strong and durable. He hated the painful rough sex that Brassy often favored, but at least Brassy didn’t have to worry about accidentally dusting the huge skeleton in the throes of aggressive passion. Cap even seized the initiative, groping the smaller skeleton under the blankets on the couch or pawing his pants off to bend him over the kitchen table while he cooked dinner._

_Brassy’s interactions with Vasi became sporadic as spending time with Cap consumed more and more of his free time. Cap was a rewarding distraction from his leftover feelings about Vasi. Cap was constant. Cap was within his sphere of control. Cap was_ his _, and slowly, his emotions towards the dark-haired woman with the golden eyes got tucked away in the “People Who Have Come and Gone” box in his mind._

* * *

**That giant dumb puppy, Captain Skittles’ unabashed hero worship of his brother sickened YanYan. Just like Brassberry, Cap was weak and practically useless for anything other than menial tasks and heavy lifting. At least the new houseguest had fixed the roof and, under YanYan’s direction, cleaned out the disorganized disaster area of the basement.**

**YanYan accepted Cap’s permanent residence in the house on the grounds that the sticker-clad buffoon followed his orders immediately and without question, and Cap complied readily. So what if Cap had an unhealthy infatuation with Brassyberry? It just provided more leverage for YanYan to use against him when he wanted something.**

**Cap didn’t present the same threat to YanYan’s authority that the blue-haired whore had. Her quiet love of Brassberry and inability to protect herself lured his naive brother away from him, and YanYan couldn’t allow that. Cap was content to stay at home, strong enough that very little presented an actual threat to him, and completely submissive to YanYan’s whims.**

**Unlike Vasi, Cap didn’t spend much time hiding out in the spare bedroom, which also made him the perfect target for YanYan’s ire.  When YanYan returned home in a foul mood one day to find Cap smiling happily for no good reason and building a house of cards on the coffee table, the big idiot didn’t even sense the danger. YanYan slithered forward like a hunting viper, intent on his prey.**

**Cap greeted YanYan with a cheerful “hello,” totally oblivious to the suffocating aura of wickedness that YanYan exuded.**

**The haughty skeleton drew a card from the top of the deck that served as Cap’s building materials. Flicking it into the flimsy structure caused the other cards to topple onto the coffee table and surrounding carpet.**

**“MY, MY, WHAT A MESS YOU’VE MADE,” YanYan purred, drawing another card from the deck. _The queen of diamonds. How appropriate_.**

**“I’ll clean it up!” Cap promised, but YanYan caught him by the wrist before he could start gathering up the fallen cards.**

**“SEE THAT YOU DO.” YanYan pressed the playing card firmly across Cap’s radius and ulna. “AND DON’T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN,” YanYan hissed, yanking the card swiftly enough to leave a thin, clean cut in Cap’s bone. Marrow bubbled from the wound, and Cap whimpered and cowered.**

**Cap’s fearful reaction caused YanYan’s bad mood to dissipate. Cap responded to pain so beautifully, unlike Vasi. Cap trembled, but he didn’t flee. He awaited further punishment, further pain, with the appropriate amount of dread mixed with respect for YanYan’s superiority.**

**YanYan discarded the queen of diamonds, and Cap promptly fell to his knees, grabbing cards by the handful to avoid rekindling YanYan’s anger.**

**Vasilia had been so nonchalant when YanYan attacked her, as if she was so used to torture and abuse that it no longer fazed her. Such a shame to be so detached from pain, such a waste of his particular talents.**

**YanYan had no time to reminisce. He was running late for a scheduled video chat with Yanton, who had noticed him recently at one of his club appearances. YanYan would never risk missing out on one-on-time with the famous performer and product spokesman. He bounded up the stairs, stopping halfway up to shout more instructions to Cap before disappearing into his bedroom.**

**“WHEN YOU’RE DONE CLEANING UP, GO TO MUFFETT’S AND PICK UP BRASSBERRY’S MEDICATION!” He slammed his door on Cap’s affirmative response, securing his privacy before turning on his webcam.**

**The front door opened and closed, and YanYan was finally alone with the livestreaming image of his idle.**


End file.
